Final-year Victorian nursing student Nellie says she was left “absolutely gutted” after finding out last week she had missed out on a graduate position for 2026.
“I looked at the PMCV (Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria computer match) page, and it said, ‘You have not been matched’. I was in shock. I was very upset. I was crying,” she told the ANMJ.
And she isn’t alone. Nellie is among more than 2,000 Victorian nursing and midwifery students facing the prospect of being unable to secure a graduate program within the state’s public health system next year, following a significant cut in places.
The 22-year-old Victoria University student, the first person in her family to attend university, had her heart set on undertaking her grad year at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne’s perioperative ward. Now, she’s usure what comes next.
“Going forward, I don’t know [what to do]. Do I apply interstate? Do I apply rurally? Do I move away from my family. Potentially, I might have to move out by myself and do a grad year in an area I’m not familiar with. There’s all these things running through my head and it’s stressing me out quite a lot.”
ANMF (Vic Branch) Assistant Secretary Nicole Allan, left, and final year nursing students from left, Jess, Jess and Nellie, sharing their stories at the rally to secure extra graduate positions for 2026. Photo: Chris Hopkins
Yesterday, Nellie joined dozens of nursing and midwifery students, union members and community supporters on the steps of state Parliament at a rally organised by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) calling on the Victorian Government to urgently fund additional graduate places. The Government should also hold immediate discussions with the private acute sector about their level of investment in graduate nurses, and explore all viable options, to safeguard the future nursing and midwifery workforce, the union says.
The ‘Use Us Or Lose Us’ campaign, which includes a petition that has already amassed over 5,000 signatures, follows recent discussions with the Department of Health where ANMF (Vic Branch) learned that more than 2,000 graduate nurses and midwives could be left with a graduate position in the public sector in 2026, up from about 350 the previous year.
At the rally, ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary Maddy Harradence said the reduction in graduate nursing/midwifery positions was a “slap in the face” given that back in 2022, the state government launched a $270 million program offering free nursing and midwifery degrees to encourage uptake. Under the scheme, domestic students enrolling in professional-entry nursing or midwifery courses in 2023 and 2024 received a scholarship of up to $16,500. This included $9,000 during their studies and an additional $7,500 if they committed to working in a Victorian public health service for two years after graduating.
“We are angry, we are frustrated, and we are incredibly disappointed, because we know that over 2,000 final-year nursing and midwifery students were unsuccessful in round one of PMCV computer match,” she said.
“It’s incredibly frustrating, and it’s a waste. We are calling this an extraordinary waste of taxpayers’ money. An extraordinary waste of incredible nurses who we’ll need into the future.”
Ms Harradence noted that the cuts come at the same time as Department of Health modelling warning of a major nursing shortage in the coming decade.
At an ANMF (Vic Branch) online meeting last week for final-year students following the first round of the Graduate Nursing Midwifery Program (GNMP) Match, 70% of attendees reported missing out on a grad position.
“They said they felt gutted. They felt betrayed. They felt let down. They felt disappointed. I want to say to you today, you’re not a failure. This is a failure of policy. This is a failure of government direction and we’re not going to let it go.”
Among them is Jess, a final-year Victoria University nursing student who spoke at the rally.
The 40-year-old mother is a mature age student who pursued nursing after her youngest child endured a long hospital stay.
“I got to spend a lot of time with nurses and see all the hard work that they do,” she recalls.
“They solved everyone’s problems. Whether it was my problem, or the doctor’s problem, anything that we needed, they made it happen. They were the backbone of the healthcare industry, in my eyes. And I knew that I wanted to go on and study and be a nurse to help others in the same position that I was in.”
Inspired by the work of nurses, Jess answered the government’s call to strengthen the state’s health system by taking up a free nursing degree, receiving a $3,000 once-a-year payment, which has helped her balance work, study, and looking after a family.
Jess says learning she was unsuccessful in securing a graduate position for 2026 was heartbreaking.
“I just felt really disappointed, really flat and just defeated,” she says.
“I just felt like they promised us jobs that weren’t there, and there’s such growing demand, which [the data] is readily available online that anyone can access. It says how many nurses we’re going to need in the future and how burnt out our current nurses are. And here we are, ready to go.”
Despite the uncertainty, Jess says she’s grateful for the ANMF’s (Victorian Branch) ongoing support and is determined to keep fighting alongside the union and fellow student nurses and midwives.
“It feels really good to know that there’s such support, especially with the union and everyone standing united here today, and just a lot of compassion and reassuring support that they’re [the union] going to fight for us and we are going to do this together, to get jobs.”
For Nellie, too, the solidarity at the rally has helped soften the blow during a challenging time.
“I feel very supported by everyone here today. There are people here today who did get grad years, but they still came to support us and the people who didn’t.”
Information on the ‘Use Us Or Lose Us’ campaign and to sign the petition here
