La Trobe University Shepparton nursing and midwifery lecturer Rachel Shephard, Mooroopna Rotary Club vice president Ken Faulkner, first-year nursing student Ollie Fagan, Mooroopna Rotary Club secretary Kelvin Rogash and Mooroopna Rotary Club treasurer Barb Joyce in the nursing lab with the new stethoscopes.
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The Mooroopna Rotary Club has donated 10 top-tier Littmann stethoscopes to La Trobe University in Shepparton.
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The donation is set to improve regional and rural nursing training and support the future of its healthcare workers.
The stethoscopes will remain in nursing labs, and with 20 students to a session, will be shared one between each pair of students during clinical classes.
It is a significant upgrade for the nursing program at La Trobe, with students previously working with just 10 to 15 basic stethoscopes.
La Trobe nursing and midwifery lecturer Kate Nelson said nurses needed a stethoscope from the beginning of their course, and being able to provide a high-quality one would help set students on the right path.
“The Littmann stethoscopes are renowned for their superior acoustic quality,” Ms Nelson said.
“This helps students hear, but also interpret these cardiac, lung and abdominal sounds that they need to develop throughout their training to be able to deliver high-quality, authentic nursing care.”
Ms Nelson said the donation was particularly valuable for regional students, with La Trobe’s rural school recording a graduate employment match rate of 89.9 per cent in some of the first-round matches.
It is a number that is significantly higher than among metropolitan graduates, where the match rate for graduates with their top pick of prospective employer was as low as 50 per cent in the first couple of rounds.
“Students that train in regional areas have great employment opportunities because of our partnerships and the pipeline of nurses we produce to cater for our regional healthcare facilities,” Ms Nelson said.
With access to high-quality equipment and support behind the students, Ms Nelson said they could also be more inclined to stay and work in a regional setting once they graduated.
Mooroopna Rotary Club member Ken Fawkner said the donation was about providing support.
“It’s good for us to support nurse training in this area,” Mr Fawkner said.
“Our hope is that if they train local, they stay local.”
Ms Nelson said the gift was a great demonstration of community connection and support for the nurse profession.
“It shows that the community really cares about them, value the time and effort that they’re putting in because they are such a valuable resource in our community,” she said.
Nursing and midwifery lecturer Rachel Shephard and Rotary member Kelvin Rogash show off a donated stethoscope.
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La Trobe University staff and students with Mooroopna Rotary Club members after they donated 10 high-quality Littmann stethoscopes.
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Inside the packaging of the Littmann stethoscopes.
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