Nurse Tracy Edwards welcomes CQU graduates Madelyn Stockwell and Dean Little to the Bundaberg Hospital.CQU nursing graduates were the most highly sought after in the Wide Bay Health Service District's recent nurse recruitment campaign.

The health service has employed 13 CQU nursing graduates to fill more than half of the 20 positions that were offered.

Bundaberg Hospital have received 16 new recruits, while 2 have gone to Monto Hospital, and Gin Gin and Mundubbera hospitals have welcomed one graduate each.

District Director of Nursing Debbie Carroll said the intake of graduates had increased by six this year because of the high standard of applicants and improvements in the district's recruiting process.

Ms Carroll said a total of 52 applications were received from graduates seeking positions in the Wide Bay Health Service District.

"And 19 of the 22 third-year nursing students at the Central Queensland University's Bundaberg campus applied for a position with us," she said.

CQU's Professor of Contemporary Nursing, Professor Brenda Happell said: she are pleased Queensland Health and the Wide Bay Health Service District have seen the potential in CQU's graduates and looked forward to producing further nurses for the region.

CQU's nursing degree incorporates both theoretical and research based methods of nursing practices and offers more clinical experience than most other nursing degrees.

"More clinical experience means more competent graduates and this brings faster promotion in the workplace, and supports the image of the professional nurse," Prof. Happell explained.

Ms Carroll said many CQU students attended an inaugural open day in July last year, which provided them with information about the district's graduate nurse program.

She said the Bundaberg Hospital worked closely with the University and was proud to offer employment to many of its 2007 graduates.

She said the University encouraged Bundaberg residents to take up nursing in the knowledge they could remain close to home while studying and then have an excellent chance of gaining employment locally once they graduated.

Ms Carroll said the district was pleased to welcome the new graduates, who would start work on January 29.