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Student nurses bring scholarships to UNE

January 11, 2005

Katrina.thumb.jpgStudents of nursing at the University of New England have been particularly successful in winning scholarships that are part of a government strategy to boost the number of Registered Nurses in rural Australia.

Fifteen students entering the third year of a Bachelor of Nursing degree at UNE this year have won scholarships that will help them complete their degree courses.

These scholarships, all funded by the Australian Government, include Remote and Rural Nursing Scholarships (administered by the Royal College of Nursing) and Aged Care Nursing Scholarships, as well as scholarships administered through Centrelink and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Most of them are worth $10,000 for the year.

Ms Jackie Lea, from UNE’s School of Health, said these scholarships are available to students from rural and remote backgrounds, to those interested in a career in aged care, and to assist with a range of financial needs commonly experienced by nursing students.

“In addition to these Commonwealth scholarships,” Ms Lea said, “financial assistance is available from other sources, including ‘placement grants’ from the NSW Government.” These grants, worth between $300 and $500 each, are designed to help nursing students with travel and accommodation costs associated with their required work experience in “clinical placements”.

She explained that UNE’s Bachelor of Nursing degree required 32 weeks of clinical experience over the course of the program, which was “far more than any other Bachelor of Nursing course”. “This makes UNE graduates much sought-after within the profession,” she said.

Katrina Garrahy of Armidale (pictured here), the winner of one of the Remote and Rural Nursing Scholarships, did a four-year apprenticeship in beauty therapy before beginning her Bachelor of Nursing course. “The scholarship will be a big help for this final year of the course,” Katrina said, “particularly as we have to do 18 weeks of clinical experience during the year.”

In response to the increased demand for Registered Nurses in general, and particularly in regional and rural areas, the Australian Government has made funding available for UNE to substantially increase enrolments in its Bachelor of Nursing program in 2005.

Media contact: Jackie Lea, School of Health, UNE (02) 6773 2974 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at January 11, 2005 03:13 PM