This year, La Trobe’s School of Nursing and Midwifery celebrates 50 years of nursing education.
To mark this milestone, we spoke to former Dean, Adjunct Associate Professor William McGuiness, about his time in the School from 2010 to 2016.
Dr McGuiness says the creation of clinical schools was “transformative” for nursing education at La Trobe.
“I worked with the Dean of the School of Health Sciences to create five new clinical schools at the major teaching hospitals – Alfred Health, Austin Health, Melbourne Health and Northern Health.”
“This meant our students had their initial education at the University and their final years at the clinical schools.”
“This model transformed nursing education. Not only did our students get access to the environment and the culture of working in a hospital, but it also gave them access to experts who were working in their field of specialisation,” he says.
Another major highlight during his time as Dean was the generous gift from La Trobe alumna, Roberta ‘Bobbie’ Holmes.
“Bobbie was passionate about the importance of supporting parents and children. Her view was that if we can help prepare people for parenthood, it would result in better outcomes for their children,” he explains.
“It was a very generous donation and allowed us to employ a Professor in the Judith Lumley Centre and establish La Trobe’s Transition to Contemporary Parenthood research program.”
Dr McGuiness says that while nursing education has changed significantly over 50 years, there is one thing that remains constant.
“The importance of people. For me, the most enduring memories of my time as Head of School was working with incredible people who were passionate about the importance of education and healthcare.”
As for the next 50 years, Dr McGuiness would love to see more opportunities for nurses to pursue advanced practice.
“I do think we've pretty much got it right now in terms of the balance between vocational and academic learning.”
“I’d love to see the profession embrace the advanced practice side of things, which would allow graduates to use their expertise in more complex and specialist situations. I think this would expand opportunities for nurses and give them a greater sense of satisfaction.”
