Thousands of Victorian graduate nurses and midwives are facing the prospect of missing out on a graduate position next year, the ANMF (Vic Branch) has warned, as demand outstrips the current number of available places.
Through discussions with the Department of Health, the ANMF (Vic Branch) understands that more than 2,000 graduate nurses and midwives could be left with a graduate position in 2026, up from about 350 the previous year.
In 2022, the state government launched a $270 million program offering free nursing and midwifery degrees. 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.
Thousands of students who answered the government’s call to strengthen the state’s health system by signing up for the free degrees could now be left in limbo, the ANMF (Vic Branch) says.
“We need these graduate nurses and midwives,” said ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary Maddy Harradence.
“It is absurd to fund nursing and midwifery degrees and then not employ them when they graduate. Taxpayer dollars have paid for them to study and it is a wasted opportunity for this investment not to be realised.
“At a time when the ANMF, the Victorian Government and the community know that there will be an increased demand for healthcare in the future – and a corresponding healthcare worker shortage – we cannot lose these critical graduates due to poor planning and shortsightedness.”
To address the bottleneck, the ANMF (Vic Branch) is calling on the state government to fund additional graduate places. This includes urging the government to hold discussions with the private acute sector about their level of investment in graduate nurses and exploring other viable options. They have also been in discussions with the federal government regarding extra graduate places in aged care.
The ANMF (Vic Branch) will hold a meeting for all current final year Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery student members on Thursday (18 September) to discuss the issue.
Students will receive first round results of the Graduate Nursing Midwifery Program (GNMP) Match, which the Department of Health used to recruit registered nurses and midwives for graduate programs or 2026 positions, from tomorrow.
