Nursing and midwifery students may have access to free degrees, scholarships, and sign-on bonuses thanks to state government’s Free Nursing and Midwifery initiative.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas visited Monash University on Thursday April 6, to meet some of Victoria’s newest nursing students, and announce applications for degrees and scholarships will open on April 26.
The state government’s $270 million investment will see more than 17,000 nurses and midwives recruited and trained, removing the financial barriers to studying and training the next generation of nurses and midwives locally.
As part of this initiative, more than 10,000 Victorian nursing and midwifery students who begin their studies this year or next will be reimbursed up to $16,500 – covering the cost of their degree.
All new domestic students enrolling in a professional-entry nursing or midwifery course will receive $3,000 a year over a maximum of three years while studying, and the remaining $7,500 once they complete two years’ work in a Victorian public health service.
There are also strong incentives for nursing and midwifery graduates to take up work in the Victorian public health sector, with an additional $5,000 in bonus payments after two years of work – with the first round of new graduates set to receive initial payments in May.
The package also includes support for nurses and midwives re-joining the workforce with scholarships of up to $15,000 to update qualifications and complete any training required to get their registrations up to date.
Scholarships are also available to support up to 2,000 enrolled nurses to become registered nurses, for postgraduate nurses to complete studies in specialty areas like intensive care, emergency, paediatrics and cancer care, and to recruit 100 extra highly skilled nurse practitioners across the state.
Mr Andrews said the support means “there’s never been a better time to become a nurse or midwife in a Victorian public hospital.”
In eight years, the number of nurses in the public hospital system has grown by more than 29 per cent – increasing by 10,400 to almost 46,000 nurses.
Applications for all scholarships open 26 April.
Quote attributable to Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas
“We’re recruiting thousands of nurses and midwives, which means more support for our healthcare workers already on the ground – so they can continue to deliver patients the care they need.”
Training and Skills and Higher Education Minister Gayle Tierney said removing the financial barrier to studying nursing or upskilling “gives Victoria the highly skilled home-grown workforce to deliver the best care in our public hospitals.”
