Supported first year of practice

SFYP is a set of supports to help graduate registered nurses in their first year of practice within primary and community care. Support is also available to the graduate registered nurse’s employer and preceptor. 

Graduate registered nurses are eligible if they completed a New Zealand nursing programme, are within 12 months of receiving their first Annual Practicing Certificate, work at least 0.6 FTE in the setting, and are employed in primary or community care.  

Graduate registered nurses, employers and preceptors can start at any time of the year, and access supports when they need them. SFYP has no set intake dates or cohorts.

The graduate registered nurse and their preceptor will develop an individual learning plan during the first month. This plan identifies goals, learning needs, supports, and training relevant to your area of practice. Additional supports include clinical load sharing, peer groups, cultural supervision, clinical coaching, and access to skills training relevant to the graduate registered nurse's role.

No. Training is tailored to the graduate registered nurses area of practice and learning needs.  

Approved training funded through SFYP is paid directly to the provider. Graduate registered nurses are not expected to pay course fees and claim reimbursement. The employer will cover your salary and any travel and accommodation costs where training is provided outside of the setting. 

Additional support is available when it's needed. This may include clinical coaching, cultural supervision, or a formal support plan developed between the graduate registered nurse and their preceptor and supported by the employer. The workforce hub is also here to help!

Yes. Graduate nurses can join regular peer groups that connect nurses across different employers and settings to share experiences and support one another.  

The first year focuses on becoming competent and confident in the role. After 12 months, the graduate registered nurse and their preceptor will develop a plan for the second year of practice.  

A registered nurse with at least 12 months of registration and at least six months' experience in the current setting. The nurse will also need to have completed the training modules, so they are set up for success in the role of preceptor. 

Yes. There are preceptor development opportunities, including online learning, regional workshops and peer support groups, and ongoing peer supervision.  

Preceptors support graduate registered nurses to apply their learning in practice, contribute to the learning plan, provide regular feedback, and help identify support needs early. 

Employing graduate registered nurses and offering SFYP support will attract, retain and strengthen the primary and community care workforce. The supports available through SFYP make it more affordable and practical to support graduate nurses entering primary and community care.  

Employers provide a trained preceptor, workplace orientation, clinical load sharing, regular check-ins, paid release for learning, and support for the nurse's learning plan. They provide mandatory training that every nurse needs for their setting. The employer covers any travel and accommodation costs where the graduate registered nurse and their preceptor attends a session away from the setting. 

Eligible employers can receive funding from the Health New Zealand incentive fund to help cover costs such as release time, backfill, preceptor support, and other employer commitments. The funding for urban practices is $15,000 and $20,000 for rural practices. More information on this funding can be found here.

Absolutely! SFYP supports are available to all primary and community care settings including small practices, aged care facilities, hospices, community providers and NGO’s delivering healthcare services and can access the same level of support as larger organisations.  

The Workforce Hub collects registration and participation information to coordinate supports and report on programme outcomes. Clinical information, appraisal content, and performance records are not collected.  

You can read our full privacy statement here. 

kiaora@workforcehub.co.nz for more information. Graduate nurses who are not yet employed, and employers looking for a graduate nurse, can register through PC Connect.