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Transition program helps grow Townsville's specialised nursing workforce

Published: 18 July 2025

Care and support for some of north Queensland’s tiniest, most vulnerable, and most unwell patients has been boosted with more nurses qualified to work in neonatal units. 

Eighteen Townsville Hospital and Health Service registered nurses have graduated from Queensland Health’s Neonatal Transition Support Program, giving them the necessary knowledge and skills to provide safe and effective care to neonates. 

The nurses completed up to two years’ worth of additional training to support them in their specialised roles. 

Registered nurse Lucy Anderson was one of the 18 nurses who graduated and said she gained a lot from the training. 

“Early in my nursing career I did a special care placement and discovered I had a passion for neonatal care,” Ms Anderson said. 

“Since then, I have always wanted to work in the field and now I am very excited to have finally finished my training to be able to make a career through caring for some of the health service’s tiniest patients. 

“The program was extremely valuable and filled a vital gap, providing foundational knowledge about neonatal care that is not typically taught at university. 

“It was a lot of hard work, and I am very proud of all the hours we put in to complete the intensive training program.” 

Neonatal nurse educator Louise Thiele coordinates the transition program for the Townsville HHS and said it was a steep learning curve for a lot of the participants. 

“We are caring for some of the HHS’s most precious patients,” Ms Thiele said. 

“Neonatal is a completely different specialty to adults so our nurses starting this program are having to learn everything from the ground up. 

“The program is more intensive and harder than a postgraduate certificate at university, so I am very proud to see 18 nurses stick with it and complete the transition.”

Ms Thiele said the increasing demands on the unit have underscored the need for the specialised program.

“We’re getting busier as a unit and we need more specialised staff,” she said.

“This year’s intake is currently at 30 nurses which is the largest intake ever and shows our commitment to caring for our patients.”

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