A health hub providing students from five local schools with nursing and healthcare training has officially opened.
The Park Ridge State High School Health Hub is a new training facility offering Certificate II and III studies in nursing and healthcare to students from Park Ridge, Parklands, Browns Plains, Emmaus, and Beaudesert.
This year alone, 78 students completed Certificate II and III qualifications in nursing and home care.
The building includes a four-bed ward to create a real-world training environment for young aspiring healthcare workers.
Hospital beds and other medical equipment were donated by OSMAC, Bluestone Medical, the Greenbank RSL, E Nurse, and the PA Hospital.
Park Ridge State High School principal Sharon Amos said she was excited seeing the results of local students participating at the Health Hub.
“Many of these students had poor attendance at were at risk of not completing school,” she said.
“The Health Hub has offered them real-world training and employment opportunities and has helped these students to get excited about their futures and re-engage with their studies.”
Following the graduation from the facility, four year 12 students are working part-time as nursing assistants in aged care and home care settings while finishing their school studies, and every year 12 student who completed their Certificate III applied to study nursing at university or TAFE next year.
The Minister for Health, Mental Health, and Ambulance Services, Shannon Fentiman, said the Health Hub was delivering “fantastic outcomes”.
“… with 100 per cent of participating students successfully completed their training,” she said.
“These students have rich and rewarding careers in nursing ahead of them thanks to this initiative.
“This wonderful Health Hub means students can start nursing careers early, with four year 12 students currently working as AINs whilst completing their studies.”
Ms Fentiman said the health workforce needed to grow to meet future demand.
“And this Health Hub is doing just that, right here in Logan,” she said.
“I’m thrilled to see so many excited students choosing training and careers in health.”
State member for Logan Linus Power said it was great to see students in the Logan region take advantage of the “incredible training the Health Hub offered.
“It can be hard to decide what you want to do for work when you’re still in high school, but the amazing Health Hub here offers insights and training to take the guess work out of your QCAT forms.”
