ONE of the 24 nurse recruits to start at the Tweed Hospital this week will have no trouble navigating its halls.

Casey Henzell, 30, and her son were both born at the hospital.

If that was not enough, her mother could offer some friendly advice as she is also a nurse at the hospital.

"When I was doing prac here she (her mother) would come up to the ward I was working on to check on me," Ms Henzell said.

Ms Henzell started at the hospital today in her first year as a nurse.

"I was so excited when I went to sleep last night," she said.

"I'm not sure when I wanted to take nursing. I just want to feel the same excitement about it that I felt today."

Another recruit Patrick Sharman, 43, had a different path to nursing.

Mr Sharman had a long career working in the health industry as remedial masseuse before studying nursing.

"I had to give the hands a rest," he said.

"It's a lot of hard work especially with all that deep tissue stuff."

Mr Sharman said he always cared for people and nursing seemed to be a natural fit.

North Coast Area Health Service chief executive Chris Crawford said the nurses will add to the services the hospital offered the community.

"We can only deliver services to the extent that we have nurses," Mr Crawford said.

"When I started here it was a district hospital and now this is a flourishing base hospital.

"There are so many different opportunities for nursing right now."

Tweed MP Geoff Provest was also on hand to welcome the recruits to the hospital.

"With 24 new positions, the Tweed Hospital has obviously fared exceptionally well," Mr Provest said.

"The Tweed Hospital is one of the busiest on the North Coast and this boost is great news for patients and the existing hard-working medical staff."