ST GEORGE and Sutherland hospitals are celebrating the 10th anniversary of a NSW Health initiative that helps nurses and midwives return to the workforce after a one-year absence.
Nursing Re-Connect and Midwifery Connect were launched in 2002 to encourage qualified workers to join the NSW public health system.
Former NSW Nurses' Association training and development manager Vicki Anderson, 63, used Re-Connect to secure a position as a neonatal nurse at St George Hospital last February.
She had not worked in a clinical setting for 10 years.
"Teamwork and communication are essential in caring for patients and it's certainly encouraging to see that this aspect of the job has remained at the forefront of healthcare delivery," Ms Anderson said.
"I have always been an advocate for clinical teaching and take great pride in supporting and sharing my knowledge with new nursing graduates and student midwives who have an interest in caring for premature and critically ill babies."
Of the 1900-plus midwives and nurses who re-entered the workforce through the initiative, more than 80 per cent had remained employed in the public health system.
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