New placements to help student nurses from northern Adelaide and regional areas get experience in hospitals closer to home will be launched as part of a drive to further strengthen the workforce.
An additional 150 placements will be offered for undergraduate nursing students who are studying at the University of South Australia (UniSA) across the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN).
The Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network (BHFLHN) and Yorke and Northern Local Health Network (YNLHN) will also offer additional placements.
It comes following an evaluation by UniSA which shows that about 66 per cent of its undergraduate nursing students live in the catchment areas for NALHN, BHFLHN and YNLHN.
Currently, students from all universities do not get to choose the location of their placements and often must travel long distances or relocate temporarily to complete this key part of their studies.
By offering students an opportunity to do their clinical placements closer to home, it aims to reduce some of these financial barriers, while giving them experience in local hospitals.
Opportunities for employment as assistants in nursing will also be on offer for students looking to increase their income and gain more experience during their studies, helping health networks develop their future workforce.
The program will extend to midwifery students, other universities and Local Health Networks in 2025 to support undergraduate students across the state.
In addition, the Federal Government has announced eligible nurses and midwives will be paid for work placements as part of the Commonwealth Prac Payment scheme from 1 July 2025.
Meanwhile, early career nurses at NALHN and YNLHN are being offered an opportunity to take part in a unique nurse swap pilot program.
The six-month Metro/Rural Nursing Exchange will allow up to 10 nurses to deepen their nursing experience with culturally diverse communities in rural and metropolitan hospitals.
Those selected for the exchange program will be supported with mentoring and travel and accommodation assistance for the duration of their time at either NALHN or YNLHN.
Expressions of interest for the metro rural nursing exchange will open in June, with the first nurse swap expected to take place in July.
Quotes
Attributable to Chris Picton
These programs demonstrate the collaboration and cooperation of nursing and midwifery sectors to look at new and creative ways to attract and retain our nursing workforce, particularly in our regions.
University can be an expensive time for students, and through this partnership with UniSA, we can support nursing students by reducing their travel costs and potential accommodation costs.
Offering more clinical placements at the hospitals and health sites near to where nursing students live is a practical way to support students from the area.
Research informs us nurses often leave the profession early in their career to seek out new opportunities elsewhere.
The metro/rural exchange program offers NALHN and YNLHN nurses an exciting opportunity to seek out new experiences across our healthcare system while continuing to deliver vital care to South Australians.
Attributable to Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Adjunct Associate Professor, Jennifer Hurley
Our nurses and midwives are the beating heart of our hospitals. Initiatives like these are part of our plan to support the workforce as well as those who are working their way towards the start of their nursing career.
We are thinking outside the box when it comes to attracting and keeping our nurses and midwives by collaborating with colleagues across the state, and with our university sector.
The development of these programs demonstrates the huge commitment and passion of our nursing and midwifery leaders at NALHN, YNLHN and BHFLHN.
Our future nursing and midwifery workforce is in good hands.
Attributable to University of South Australia Dean of Programs (Nursing and Midwifery) Professor Rachael Vernon
The University of South Australia is delighted to partner with SA Health on the Clinical Placement Collaborative.
We believe this important initiative will provide nursing students with opportunities closer to home that improves their learning experience, supports their degree journey, and enhances their transition into the health workforce.
UniSA is committed to addressing nursing workforce shortages in regional and outer metropolitan areas. We are aware that many nursing students cut short their studies due to financial pressures and placement difficulties.
Placements closer to home will ease these pressures and help retain existing students, ensuring we can meet critical workforce needs.
Students make a significant contribution to local economies and communities, and by boosting the number of nursing placements in northern Adelaide and regional areas, everyone.
Attributable to Northern Adelaide Local Health Network Executive Director of Nursing & Midwifery, Adj Assoc. Professor Vanessa Owen
We are passionate about ‘growing our own’ and supporting the local community here at NALHN.
With so many nursing students on our doorstep, the Clinical Placement Collaborative allows us to nurture, mentor and build the skills and experience of our potential future nursing community.
This pilot program gives us the opportunity to show nursing students what a career at NALHN, and health generally, looks like.
Working collaboratively with University of South Australia, Nursing & Midwifery Office, YNLHN and BHFLHN demonstrates the benefit of a collective approach to a shared vision of improving clinical placements for nursing students.
Not only do we look at ways to support our future workforce, we also have opportunities for our existing nurses. The metro/rural nurse exchange is an innovative example of collaboration between NALHN and YNLHN, offering our nurses the chance to share and grow their experience in a different setting.
Attributable to Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network Nursing and Midwifery Advisor Alice Steeb
We are delighted to offer our local nursing students with this opportunity to grow their skills closer to home, while also potentially creating our future nursing workforce.
Not only will this allow our current nursing workforce to pass on their skills and experience to the next generation, but it also gives us an opportunity to showcase how rewarding a career at BHFLHN is, with both regional and remote settings on offer.
It comes with the advantage of students being able to stay at home, if they wish, and significantly save on travel and accommodation during their studies.
Students involved in the pilot are able to experience a regional placement offered at all BHFLHN sites including the beautiful Kangaroo Island where they will gain broad and varied nursing skills they can apply in their nursing career.
Attributable to Yorke and Northern Local Health Network Executive Director of Nursing, Rochelle Griffin
Having a strong connection to our community is something we’re passionate about here at YNLHN.
These nursing placements give our local students the opportunity to grow their skills and experience in their own community and cement their roots here.
It comes with the bonus of being able to stay in their own home with their loved ones close by, if they wish, and significantly save on travel and accommodation during their studies. If students then decide to join our workforce after graduation, there are many opportunities available to continue building their experience.
Opportunities like the Metro/Rural Exchange program, giving our nurses the chance to share and grow their experience in other settings.
