About RCH Nursing

Welcome to Nursing at The Royal Children's Hospital

For 140 years Nurses have been providing leadership in paediatric nursing at The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH).    Nursing practice occurs in inpatient, outpatient, ambulatory care and community settings and we welcome nurses with all levels of skills, knowledge and experience into our teams. 

We are committed to competency based practice and provide nurses with a comprehensive, individualized orientation and familiarization programme and you can explore the opportunities on own career's website. 

What's new in nursing?

International Nurses Day Event


International Nurses Day is celebrated on May 12th each year in honour of the birth of Florence Nightingale.  Information about Florence Nightingale can be found at The Florence Nightingale International Foundation home page.   The 2012 theme for International Nurses Day is :Closing the Gap : From Evidence to Action

RCH Nursing teams will acknowledge International Nurses Day on Tuesday May 6th and Thursday May 8th.   A special nursing forum will occur on Tuesday May 6th along with a one hour ceremony on Thursday May 8th.  On Thursday the the 2011 Graduate Nurses will be awarded their program completion certificates along with a presentation from Bernadette Twomey.   

All nurses are welcome to attend the event in the Ella Latham Auditorium from 1400 - 1500 hours followed by an afternoon tea.

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Nursing Development Scholarship

The annual scholarship of $50,000 offers a unique opportunity for an outstanding RCH nurse to further develop their career, while helping the RCH to achieve our vision of being a great children’s hospital.    Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE, has generously given her name in perpetuity in support of this scholarship and the advancement of nursing at RCH.

Dame Elisabeth has been associated with the RCH since 1933 and has in that time demonstrated her commitment and dedication to the care, health and well being of the children of Victoria and beyond.  

The successful winner of the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Scholarship (2011) was Dr Sharon Kinney, Nurse Consultant, Research.

Competency Framework

The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Nursing Competency Framework outlines the characteristics of a competent nursing workforce that guide safe neonatal, child and adolescent nursing practice within RCH.    All nurses at RCH will participate in the nursing competency framework and this organizational wide approach will support excellence in clinical nursing practice.  

The framework is evidenced based and makes explicit the expected standard of nursing care in RCH, supports nurses to develop the specialized knowledge and skills, develops and values the essence of nursing within RCH nursing

Familiarization is a specified period of induction, supernumerary and orientation time that enables nursing staff to adapt efficiently to a new work environment.    The speed at which nurses attain a minimum competence in the specialty occurs over a variable period of time during the familiarization period.   Nursing familiarization at RCH occurs over a ten week time frame.  During this time intensive commitment to competency achievement and planning is required by all parties.   Experienced nurses will obtain recognition for their prior learning and experience. 

During familiarization nurses are provided with structured support and guidance to ensure that they are able to develop and demonstrate the necessary competencies to meet their patient’s care needs in a safe, competent and culturally responsive manner.    The familiarization period is formally concluded at ten weeks and evaluated with a performance by the Manager, involving input from the preceptor.  The performance reviews includes:

  • Achievement of RCH mandatory training
  • Achievement of RCH generic/familiarization competencies
  • Goal setting for the following 10 months, including agreed timelines for competency achievement, professional development plan, annual leave plan and review dates over the next 10 months

Nursing Competency Framework Resources

Professional Practice Portfolios (PPP)

As of the 1st July 2009 all nurses will be required to provide evidence of continuing professional development.    Continuing professional development (CPD)  is the means by which nurses maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge, expertise and competence and also develop the personal and professional qualities required throughout their professional lives (AHPRA).

Nurses are required to complete 20 hours of CPD per year and need to keep evidence or proof of the past 3 years CPD activities for audit purposes.   The 'year' is 12 months from your registration date.

CPD records need to include dates, description of the outcome, number of hours spend in the activity and verification.         Further information about CPD can be online at the CPD frequently asked questions link;  Continuing Professional Development (CPD) frequently asked questions - Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia

At the RCH, all nurses need to provide proof of ongoing professional development in the form of a  professional practice portfolio (PPP) and the following template has been developed to provide assistance and guidance::

Further resources can be found at:


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