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Lead with heart. Grow with community

UOW Nursing Graduate Network

From graduate to leader, Connected for life through UOW Nursing

The Nursing Graduate Network connects UOW nursing alumni, students, and academic staff in an ongoing partnership of growth, mentorship, and professional development. It fosters lifelong engagement, shared learning, and a collective commitment to advancing excellence in nursing.

The Nursing Graduate Network was created to keep our UOW nursing team connected. Whether you’re just starting your career or decades into your nursing journey, this is your place to share stories, gain support, and celebrate achievements. Together, we build bridges between students, graduates, educators, and clinical partners.

Joining the Nursing Graduate Network means being part of something that continues long after graduation. It’s a way to stay connected with friends, mentors, and the UOW community while gaining access to opportunities that help you grow both personally and professionally.

  • Stay connected with peers, mentors, and academics who shaped your journey.
  • Access CPD sessions, professional development, and networking opportunities designed to support your evolving career.
  • Gain exclusive access to mentorship pathways and alumni events that foster confidence and leadership.
  • Be part of alumni stories and local events that celebrate nursing across all UOW campuses.

There’s always something happening within the UOW Nursing Graduate Network, offering countless ways to learn, connect, and grow. Members are invited to take part in themed webinars, workshops, and social events that explore the latest issues and innovations in nursing practice. You might find yourself joining a wellbeing-focused session one month and a leadership masterclass the next.

Alumni also have the chance to feature at the UOW stand during key events, representing the profession and inspiring the next generation of nurses. Those who participate in specific webinars, workshops, or presentations have the potential to gain Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points toward their professional portfolios.

Through collaboration with academic staff and professional partners, alumni can support or lead discussion panels, participate in regional nursing-led events, or share lived experiences that shape the future of nursing education. These events create space to celebrate achievements, strengthen professional networks, and give back to the community that supported your journey.

Mentorship and menteeship pathways

The Nursing Graduate Network’s Mentorship and Menteeship Pathway is designed to bring people together through shared experience, guidance, and growth. Whether you are an experienced nurse ready to give back, or a graduate navigating the start of your professional journey, this initiative offers a way to stay connected and thrive in your nursing career.

The Mentorship and Menteeship Pathway will officially launch in 2026. The program will run across Wollongong and regional campuses.

Email your EOI through to School of Nursing Alumni Coordinator, tanya_moraga@uow.edu.au. 

Mentoring is a powerful way to make an impact. Alumni mentors share the insights, lessons, and wisdom gained from years of practice. Through mentoring, you not only shape the next generation of UOW nurses but also strengthen your own leadership, communication, and reflective skills. Mentorship enhances professional satisfaction, renews your sense of purpose, and fosters lifelong links within the UOW community.

Being a mentee offers invaluable support and confidence during key transition points, from study to practice, or from early-career to advanced roles. Mentees gain practical advice, career guidance, and emotional encouragement from those who have walked similar paths. It’s a chance to learn how to balance the demands of nursing while building resilience and professional identity.

 

This pathway is a space of mutual learning and respect. Both mentors and mentees benefit from meaningful conversations, expanded professional networks, and the satisfaction of contributing to a culture of care and connection. Each pairing enriches both sides of the relationship, nurturing a stronger, more supportive nursing community.

Connecting Alumni and communities

Our graduates are shaping healthcare locally, nationally, and globally. Through Alumni of Impact stories, campus features, and regional highlights, we celebrate the individuals and teams making a difference every day.

This network proudly embraces the UOW campuses offering nursing courses - Wollongong, Bega Valley, Shoalhaven, Liverpool, and Eurobodalla - recognising and leveraging the unique strengths of each local community.

Students

Donna Tonkin: Rural medicine, reinvention and resilience

From personal trainer to nursing graduate to medical student, Donna Tonkin's educational journey at UOW exemplifies how resilience and a supportive community can help turn mid-life career aspirations into reality.
Health and Medicine

Inside the world of mental health nursing

Shining a light on the nurses at the frontline of mental health care.
Community, Health and Medicine

Associate Professor Christopher Patterson recognised for life-saving act

When Professor Valerie Harwood went into sudden cardiac arrest last year while at Hangdog Climbing Gym in Wollongong, Associate Professor Christopher Patterson sprang into action.

Join the Nursing Graduate Network

Be part of something bigger. Whether you’re looking to learn, lead, or simply stay connected, the Nursing Graduate Network is your community. Fill out the quick EOI form below to join the network and start your journey.