Nursing careers

Cardiology has been at the heart of Cabrini for more than 50 years and will continue to be a flagship service well into the future.

Cabrini’s acute cardiac unit has 44 beds, all with advanced monitoring equipment. Our service includes interventional and diagnostic cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. The acute cardiac nursing team includes clinical nurse specialists (CNS), certified critical care registered nurses (CCRN), critical care trained staff and experienced cardiac nurses.

Our nursing staff work in conjunction with the emergency department, Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory and intensive care, to provide integrated care for patients presenting with a range of cardiac conditions. Our cardiac services include care for patients experiencing acute cardiac emergencies including heart attacks, pre and post-angiogram, angioplasty and pacemaker/AICD procedural patients, rhythm monitoring, full haemodynamic pressure monitoring, TAVI, inotropic drug support, heart failure management and cardiothoracic surgery. The acute cardiac unit works with cardiac rehabilitation staff to ensure follow-up care is provided to increase quality of life and maintain positive cardiac progress after discharge.

Supported by a clinical support nurse, we provide a range of learning opportunities for our nursing staff to expand their knowledge and expertise.

Acute cardiac nursing careers

Nursing at Cabrini’s second acute care hospital in Brighton is multi-faceted. Nurses are trained across a wide range of specialities including:

• Day oncology
• Day procedure
• General medicine
• General surgery
• Plastic and reconstructive surgery
• Ophthalmic surgery
• Orthopaedics
• Dental
• Gynaecological surgery
• Ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery

Headed by its own director of nursing, teamwork is the hallmark of nursing at Cabrini Brighton. Each nurse may be rostered to work in either the overnight ward or the short stay unit and may care for several patients, all with different conditions. The work is both challenging and rewarding, and nurses are supported by Cabrini’s range of educational options and its mentorship program.

Cabrini’s Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory performs more than 2000 procedures a year. Our cardiologists specialising in diagnostic, interventional and electrophysiology cardiology, have regular sessions within the laboratory. Elective services are offered Monday to Friday, however a 24 hour on-call service is available to support the emergency department and the intensive and coronary care units.

The Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory team comprises critical care nurses who have gained extensive experience working within this arena, together with cardiac technologists and radiographers. New staff are provided with educational support and training packages, and a mentor to assist them in their transition.

Cabrini’s Alan, Ada and Eva Selwyn Emergency Department  (ED) first opened in April 2002. We treat more than 23,000 patients per year, covering all emergency conditions (except major trauma) including cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, general and aged care medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, intensive care, obstetrics and paediatrics.

The department is equipped with the latest technology and patients have excellent access to radiology, pathology, cardiac catheterisation and other ancillary services. Staff are supported by in-house educators and innovative education programs.

We are a private model, providing evidence-based care in partnership with our accredited Obstetricians and Paediatricians. We offer an 18 month postgraduate of Midwifery program in association with Deakin University. Working in the maternity unit at Cabrini, you have the opportunity to work in all areas across our unit- postnatal, special care nursery and the birth suites.

Our families enjoy 5 days of postnatal care, supported by our multidisciplinary team

Our team includes- midwives, registered nurses and lactation consultants working together 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We have 6 Birthing suites, 25 postnatal beds and a Level 2 Special Care nursery with 10 cots/isolettes.

Maternity career opportunities

A fundamental focus at Cabrini Health is enabling and empowering nurses to make clinically sound decisions in their work, establish objectives and a growth and development plan, and learn from their experiences within an innovative and supportive environment.

Cabrini’s acute medical services offer motivated and dynamic nurses’ boundless opportunities to enhance their nursing practice and care for individuals and families within our community so that they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health, function, and quality of life.

At Cabrini, acute medical patients may be admitted under our General Medical Unit or a Specialist Unit (such as Cardiology, Oncology, Respiratory, Neurology/Stroke, Palliative Care or Acute Aged Care).

The care of our acute medical patients varies widely, with some requiring comprehensive, multidisciplinary care planning for chronic and complex conditions. Yet Cabrini’s overarching goal to ensure all patients receive exceptional care delivered to the highest standards in the most effective, efficient, and person-centred way remains at the heart of all we do.

Cabrini’s paediatric ward provides friendly and family-centred care for infants, children and adolescents who have a range of medical and surgical conditions. The ward is an 18 bed, autism-friendly inpatient unit located at Cabrini Malvern offering ten overnight and eight day beds. Excellent facilities allow for parents to stay overnight. The ward caters for most specialties, except neurosurgery, oncology and cardiology. The majority of patients are admitted for elective surgery or via the emergency department. The ward nurses are paediatrics trained and qualified. Students and graduates also rotate through the ward.

Cabrini Perioperative Services is a vibrant and dynamic environment with 19 operating theatres including a hybrid theatre, three endoscopy rooms and two cardiac cath labs in a spacious and modern facility. Our perioperative teams work across Cabrini Malvern and Brighton hospitals.

Providing a full range of surgical specialties, we perform more than 1800 operations each month. Every theatre and cath lab is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to provide the highest standard of patient-centred care. Prior to surgery, staff focus on every patient having a positive experience with their admission to theatre. Our post-anaesthetic care units and discharge lounges cater for all specialist post-operative requirements.

The Central Sterilising Supply Department (CSSD) has the latest technology designed to significantly reduce manual handling. Large assembly and storage areas provide an optimum working environment, where instruments are processed to the highest standard for each procedure.

Perioperative services careers

Cabrini’s Palliative and Supportive Care service provides compassionate and expert care to patients living with life-limiting illnesses, receiving end-of-life care or requiring support with pain and symptom management during or after treatment. Our care team has the unique ability to coordinate and deliver care in a range of settings including in hospital, at home or at our outpatient clinic.

Cabrini’s palliative and supportive community home care service provides nursing assessment and specialist care to patients who require assistance with symptom management and end-of-life care in their home environment, including residential aged care facilities. This is a 24 hour, seven day a week service providing care, support and education to patients and families.

We also offer specialist and nurse-led palliative and supportive care services at our two acute hospitals, Cabrini Malvern and Cabrini Brighton, and run a weekly outpatient clinic at Cabrini Malvern.

Providing care and life support to patients who are either seriously ill, at risk of developing complications or recovering from major surgery, the 16-bed unit offers a full range of Level 3 adult intensive care services. Catering for in-patients, emergency admissions and transfers from other facilities, Cabrini’s ICU is staffed and equipped to manage patients post-cardiac and other major surgery or with respiratory failure, complex neurological/neurosurgical problems, sepsis, renal failure and multiple organ failure. Specialised nursing staff trained and certified in critical care are dedicated to the care of each patient. An ICU Fellow is present 24 hours a day and is responsible for medical care in partnership with an Intensivist.

Cabrini’s Oncology Services are supported by a 20-bed medical oncology ward and Day infusion Centres, one unit at our Malvern site and one at Cabrini Brighton. All wards/units are actively supported by an experienced team of medical oncologists and haematologists. Admissions comprise elective and emergency patients with a variety of oncological conditions, ranging from elective chemotherapy through to palliative care, requiring both simple and complex intervention. Patient support is enhanced by a telephone triage system, enabling contact with staff 24-hours a day to discuss concerns and provide advice. The team are a committed and dedicated group of specialist trained staff with a broad and varied range of expertise in all areas of medical oncology/haematology. Nursing students and graduate nurses are offered opportunities to develop skills in a supportive teaching environment. The dedicated team of nurses participate in on-going professional development programs. In addition to our inpatient services both units provide chemotherapy and supportive treatments for patients with cancer with our Cabrini @Home services.

Cabrini’s rehabilitation wards at Malvern and Brighton provide high quality nursing care and in-patient and out-patient programs. Rehabilitation may follow joint replacement surgery, spinal injury or surgery, trauma due to accident or falls, car or work injury, stroke or neurological conditions. The clinical team includes  rehabilitation physicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, rehabilitation case managers, registered nurses and allied health professionals including speech pathologists.

Cabrini’s respiratory ward provides specialised facilities to help manage the care of patients who have respiratory and infectious illnesses. This ward includes 18 private rooms and one double room.

A range of speciality services are offered across the surgical wards, with a focus on improving the patient flow and experience via short stay and long stay models of care. Each ward offers a friendly environment with a strong team focus, formal and informal educational opportunities are available and nurses are encouraged to increase their knowledge and skills in specialist areas. Preceptorship is offered to new staff, graduate nurses and students. Our surgical procedures include:

• Bariatric
• Breast
• Cardiothoracic (heart and lung)
• Colorectal (bowel)
• Endocrine
• Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
• Gastroenterology
• Gynaecology / Urogynaecology
• Neurosurgery
• Ophthalmology (eye)
• Oral and maxillofacial
• Orthopaedic
• Paediatric
• Plastic and reconstructive
• Pancreatic
• Upper Gastrointestinal (gallbladder, liver, oesophagus, pancreas and stomach)
• Urology
• Vascular