My question is for the Minister for Health, and I ask: how are our nursing and midwifery scholarships supporting Victoria’s healthcare workforce? Tomorrow is International Day of the Midwife, an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the incredible work of this dedicated group of healthcare workers. Midwives and nurses are there for us during some of the most joyful, challenging and transformational moments of our lives. I recall my own experiences of giving birth and how the reassuring, steady expertise of the midwives and nurses gave me comfort and strength in those beautiful, terrifying moments. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the midwives and nurses in my community and in Victoria more broadly, who bring empathy and skill to this rewarding and challenging profession every single day. It is more important than ever that we continue to invest in, grow and strengthen our midwifery and nursing workforce. That is why our free nursing and midwifery scholarships are so important. This $270 million project is removing the financial barriers to study and helping recruit and train more than 17,000 nurses and midwives into our health system.
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I would like to acknowledge the dedication and effort of all nurses and midwives who care for the Victorian community and acknowledge the recent International Days of the Midwife and Nurse. Nurses and midwives are an integral part of the Victorian health system, supporting mothers, babies, families, and the broader community. Our $270 million investment is supporting Victoria’s healthcare workforce by upskilling and retaining current nurses and midwives and by training and recruiting the workforce of the future.
The initiative will support Victoria’s healthcare workforce over the next 5 years by providing:
Over 10,000 student nurses and midwives in Victoria and border communities commencing entry-to-practice nursing and midwifery courses in 2023 and 2024, with scholarships to assist with the costs associated with study, reduce the financial burden of study and to encourage new graduates into a career within the Victorian public health system
Over 3,000 postgraduate scholarships in 2023 and 2024 to support nurses to upskill in speciality areas such as ICU, Emergency, Oncology, Paediatrics and Midwifery
2,000 current enrolled nurses working in Victorian public health services in 2023 and 2024 with scholarships to become registered nurses
Refresher programs to support registered nurses and midwives who hold non-practicing registration in Victoria or who are fully registered but need recent clinical practice in health services to refresh their skills and to join the acute public health workforce
Support to enable nurses to continue working while they study to become midwives through the postgraduate midwifery employment model
Support for 100 nurses to become Nurse Practitioners across acute and community settings in 2023 and 2024
These nurses and midwives will play a critical role alongside current healthcare workers as our world-class health system continues to respond to current demand, and reforms to increase capacity for the future.
