The Victorian Government has recruited more than 7,000 extra nurses into the State's public hospital system since 1999, says Premier Steve Bracks.

Visiting the Austin Hospital to inspect new electric beds, part of the Government's $1 million equipment upgrade at Austin Health, Mr Bracks said nursing staff levels had been boosted by 34 per cent since June 1999.

'Victoria's public hospitals and public aged care services now employ 28,418 nurses—an all-time record.

'Nurses are the backbone of the public health system and the recruitment of more than 7,000—both graduates and former nurses returning—is a major milestone.

'These extra nurses are one of the main reasons we will this year admit an additional 300,000 patients in Victorian hospitals and provide them with a higher level of care.'

Mr Bracks said Victoria had worked hard to make nursing an attractive career again and to make public hospitals great places to work, through initiatives such as the introduction of electric beds.

'These state-of-the-art hospital beds show that the State Government is investing in making the working lives of nurses better, while at the same time improving patient care.

'Through a $1 million grant, the Austin is replacing 285 beds at a cost of around $3,500 each.

'The new beds feature dual controls, meaning the patient can adjust the bed for comfort and the nurse can adjust the bed for emergency medical reasons from the foot of the bed.

'The controls eliminate the need for nurses to manually adjust the bed—a task that is time-consuming and increases the risk of workplace back injuries.

'Other countries will benefit from the initiative with the replaced beds being sent to hospitals in Chile and South Africa.'

Mr Bracks said more than 2,300 nurses and past nurses had accessed funded refresher or re-enter programs to assist them back into the workforce.

'And more than 1,200 scholarships have been offered to nurses wishing to undertake postgraduate studies in areas where there are shortages, such as critical care and mental health.'

Mr Bracks thanked the Australian Nursing Federation for the important role they played in strongly supporting Victoria's recruitment campaign and urged school leavers to consider nursing as a profession.'