The Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery (CDNM) has welcomed recommendations outlined in the recently released Australian Universities Accord Final Report, especially efforts to address rising ‘placement poverty’ experienced by undergraduate nursing and midwifery students.
To reduce financial hardship caused by the unpaid clinical placements, the report called on the federal government to provide financial support for nursing students as part of their courses to ensure they don’t fall into poverty and that there enough skilled graduates for future jobs.
CDNM says it will advocate for the implementation of the range of measures, including placement financial support, to ensure the future success of the nursing and midwifery workforce. Positively, the report recommended that the Australian Government collaborate with higher education providers, employers, and relevant stakeholders to implement strategies to alleviate the financial burdens of clinical placements.
As a collective, CDNM is advocating for a placement bursary or stipend to help support students during placement – this was a focus of their recommendations to government in their recent pre-budget submission.
“Students undertaking mandatory workplace experience, such as nurses and midwives, can find themselves experiencing a loss of income with additional costs incurred due to placements such as travel and accommodation. Professional experience gained through these placements is a critical part of nursing and midwifery programs supporting students’ entry to the workforce following graduation.”
CDNM Interim Chief Executive Officer, Adjunct Professor Debra Thoms
CDNM said it was also pleased to see the recognition of the important role of nurses and midwives within the health care system within the report.
While growth in the number of students that can be educated will present challenges, it says it remains keen to work with relevant stakeholders to meet critical workforce shortages. For example, further increased Commonwealth-supported Postgraduate Places will contribute to improved care for the Australian community by enabling more nurses and midwives to undertake relevant postgraduate study in specialist areas of practice and help to build the research and academic workforce needed for the future.
Similarly, nursing and midwifery professions and academic institutions have long supported pathways from assistant in nursing to enrolled nurse to registered nurse and midwife through articulation between VET and Higher Education programs. CDNM says it is positive to see the recognition of the important role such pathways can play in the Accord Report.
One Response
I still believe the best nurse training comes from on the job in the hospital. Block on study followed by block on ward creates confident nurses and the people skills.
Higher education is great for post trade skills which can be done according to interests.