Nursing students benefit from new aged care hub

University of Adelaide Nursing students practising aged care.
Photo by Michael Mullan.
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Wednesday, 21 November 2012

A new student learning hub based at an aged care facility in suburban Adelaide will benefit University of Adelaide nursing students during their training to care for the elderly.

The first of its kind in the State, the new Aged Care Learning Hub is a collaboration between the University of Adelaide and care provider Resthaven Incorporated.

The new hub was officially opened today at Resthaven's Mitcham site, where nursing students are undertaking clinical placements.

Resthaven has made a residential unit available for conversion into a learning hub for students, thanks to funding support from Health Workforce Australia as part of its 'developing workforce initiative'.

University of Adelaide nursing students who use the hub as a location for education and training will be able to take their knowledge and skills directly into a real-world aged care setting.

"Aged care is critical to the future needs of our State and our nation," says Associate Professor Judy Magarey from the University of Adelaide's School of Nursing.

"As our population ages, so too does our nursing workforce. It will be very important for new generations of nurses to gain hands-on skills and understanding of aged care, which will enable them to provide the best possible quality of nursing in the years to come."

The learning hub includes a clinical skills area, equipment typical of an aged care setting, such as lifters, walking frames, and bathrooms and showers.

"The hub offers an ideal environment for students to practice clinical skills, such as wound care and taking vital signs, as well as showering and assisting patients to move around," Associate Professor Magarey says.

"They can develop confidence and clinical competency in the hub before translating that learning into the real environment."

Resthaven Chief Executive Officer Richard Hearn says he is delighted that Resthaven is working in partnership with University of Adelaide. "Resthaven has a tradition of working with tertiary institutions to offer students real-life experience in aged care," Mr Hearn says.

"An appropriately skilled and available future workforce is a significant issue, so we are happy to further extend our resources to this work with the University and to increase clinical placements for nursing students in aged care."

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