Graduate nursing ranks are on the up at Katoomba Hospital with 12 new additions due to start work this week.
Member for Blue Mountains Roza Sage welcomed the nurses during their induction week at Nepean Hospital last Thursday. They will also work on a rotation at Springwood Hospital.
Mrs Sage said the community was in good hands with the new intake.
"It was an honour to have the opportunity to meet with them and hear about their personal journeys and aspirations," Mrs Sage said.
"They were all clearly passionate about their new career path and I have no doubt they will be hard-working and caring additions to our hospitals."
The 12 new arrivals follow intakes of seven graduate nurses at Katoomba Hospital in 2013 and eight in 2014. They will gain experience in the emergency department, theatres, medical/surgical wards and rehabilitation wards.
"This is part of the NSW Government's concerted effort to boost local health services to the level our community deserves," Mrs Sage said.
"There are now more than 130 additional nurses in the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District since March 2011."
Brett Holmes, general secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association said the nurses would spend the next 12 months "consolidating the skills, professional care and dedication required in the nursing and midwifery profession".
"These 12 new graduates at Blue Mountains District Hospital will need plenty of support and encouragement and we wish them every success in commencing their employment in the public health system.
"Every new graduate nurse and midwife is a vital contribution to delivering safe patient care throughout our public hospitals and community health services. We hope to see them all retained in the public health system at the end of this program."
The graduates are Sam Jones, Malcolm Ryan, Sara Fletcher, Alex Grien, Sahar Chaboksavar Larami, Abbey Brettoner, Rowena Saxon, Sharna Gary, Evie Milosh, Fiona Lamont, Robert Goulding and Bradley Pun.
