The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) has welcomed the Andrews Government’s detailed plans to grow the nursing and midwifery workforce by removing undergraduate and postgraduate education costs.
The $270 million plan will help thousands of young and mature age nursing and midwifery undergraduates overcome significant financial barriers to access education and become our future workforce.
It will make it easier for existing nurses and midwives who need a refresher, and those who have allowed their registration to lapse, to access education and answer the call to return to the professions.
Covering the $10,000 cost of nursing and midwifery postgraduate courses for almost 3000 nurses and midwives will increase our current workforce capacity in areas of clinical need such as emergency, critical care, mental health, midwifery and maternal and child health nursing.
It will also provide better support for students undertaking clinical placement. The plan provides for almost 500 nurses to take on the roles of supporting students, and those returning to the professions, acknowledging the important work of preceptors, clinical support nurses and educators.
