News
First Enrolled Nurses graduate from AMA College
Friday August 16, 2024
This week the AMA College celebrated a momentous occasion — the graduation of our first-ever cohort from the Diploma of Nursing programme.
The inaugural graduation ceremony took place in Joondalup, with WA Premier Roger Cook in attendance, celebrating the achievements of the first 29 Enrolled Nurses from the programme.
Head of Discipline ‑ Nursing Ms Morag Wovodich said it was a pleasure and honour to have been a part of the graduates’ journey over the past 18 months.
“This is only one small chapter of your nursing career as an Enrolled Nurse, and the beginning of many more amazing chapters to come,” she said.
“I am very excited for you all as you move forward in your career.
“You all have incredible potential and an amazing future ahead of you to pursue in this wonderful profession which we are very privileged to be a part of.
“To be able to participate in the journey of someone who is in a vulnerable position either through illness, injury, or the disease process, is very humbling and a great honour.
“We trust that you will do our College proud by excelling in this industry.”
Mother-of-three Annelise Mauritz, of Claremont, was among the graduates. She has secured a spot in the graduate program at Royal Perth Hospital, with her first placement in the State Trauma Unit.
AMA (WA) President Dr Michael Page said the vision of the Association was to be the leading and trusted voice for better healthcare.
“Our mission includes representing, supporting and advocating for patients and the community,” he said.
“So it was in 2019 that we decided to put our money where our mouths are and invest in a nursing school. But not just any nursing school. One that aligned with and shared our vision and mission of creating a better healthcare system in WA. One underpinned by our values of leadership, integrity, excellence, collaboration and respect.
“AMA College was born, built on the foundations of many years of experience within the AMA (WA) of providing other types of training to healthcare practitioners and other members of the community.”
Accreditation was granted in October 2022, with the programme launched in February 2023.
“The result has been fantastic,” Dr Page said.
“We have amazing facilities, great staff, and boutique class sizes ensuring a premium learning experience for our students, who have already achieved a great reputation from their placement hosts as being amongst the cream of the crop.
“AMA College does so much more than this. Responding to an increasing demand for vocational education in schools, we provide a range of pathway courses for high school students keen on careers in health and community services. We work with 54 schools and have had nearly 500 enrolments into our Schools Programs in just the last three years.
“We’re incredibly proud of our team for what they’ve been able to achieve but more than that, we’re proud of our graduates who have excelled and who are now ready to make an important contribution to improving the lives of Western Australian patients and join the wonderful healthcare community that we have in this State.”
