Training enough new nurses to meet future demand in the region has been recognised as a challenge with the massive redevelopment and expansion of Ballarat Base Hospital and construction of the new Melton Hospital.
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With the pandemic deepening existing nursing staff shortages, and record demand for new nurses in coming years, the state government has announced free degrees, scholarships and sign-on bonuses for new nurses through its Free Nursing and Midwifery initiative.
As part of the, more than 10,000 Victorian nursing and midwifery students who start their studies in 2023 or 2024 will be reimbursed up to $16,500 - covering the cost of their degree.
Students enrolling in a Bachelor of Nursing or Midwifery course will receive $3000 a year over a maximum of three years while studying, and $7500 once they complete two years' work in a Victorian public health service.
Federation University offers a combined four year Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery, a three-year Bachelor of Nursing and a Diploma of Nursing which is already eligible for free TAFE.
The Bachelor of Nursing is one of the most popular courses at Federation University, and the Diploma of Nursing has been Federation's most popular course since the introduction of free TAFE in 2019.
Health Workforce Australia estimates that even with the existing 450,000 registered nurses and midwives in Australia, and those currently studying, Australia will be about 100,000 nurses short by 2025, and 123,000 short by 2030.
The new Victorian government scheme also provides incentives for nursing and midwifery graduates to take up work in the state public health system, offering $5000 in bonus payments after two years of work, with the first round of new graduates eligible to receive initial payments in May.
Nurses and midwives rejoining the workforce will also be able to access scholarships of up to $15,000 to update qualifications and complete any training needed to get their registrations up to date, and funding is available for nurses to complete studies in specialty areas like intensive care, emergency, pediatrics and cancer care.
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Health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said recruiting thousands of nurses and midwives would provide more support for healthcare workers already on the ground.
Federation has been working with Grampians Health to help grow the city's health workforce at a time of staffing shortages across the whole healthcare system.
As of this week there were scores of job ads for nurses across hospitals, aged care, medical practices and mental health across the Ballarat and Central Highlands region.
Federation and Grampians Health have pioneered a Diploma of Nursing traineeship, the only course of its type in Australia, which sees students employed full-time with Grampians Health while they study full-time with Federation in a "grow your own workforce" model.
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