Bulletin

Issue: July 2004

News

Graduates provide more rural nurses

In a 'first' for multi-mode nursing education in Victorian designed to boost nursing numbers in rural areas, 26 students have graduated from La Trobe University's Mildura Campus.

Course convenor and senior lecturer in Nursing and Midwifery, Dr Susan Koch, says most of the graduates are now working in regional areas, providing welcome interim relief to the chronic shortage of qualified Division 1 nurses in rural health agencies.

The innovative course enabled selected Mildura Bachelor of Nursing students to complete a large part of their studies without having to leave their homes and places of work.

The course was supported by funding from the Department of Human Services and accredited by the Nurses Board of Victoria for five years to allow registered nurses (Division 2) to upgrade their qualifications to registered nurse (Division 1).

It was developed following an approached from the Mildura Base Hospital. Two cohorts of students completed the course between 2001 and 2003. The first undertook the program over two and a half years, while the second went through a two-year accelerated program.

Dr Koch says the course was held with technical support from Sunraysia Institute of TAFE, with the main clinical support in acute nursing provided by the Mildura Base Hospital.

Multi-mode learning involves the use of learning packages that include reference materials, assessment details and guidelines for presentation. Face-to-face teaching is also provided for three days by academic staff from La Trobe's Bundoora and Bendigo campuses and by Mildura campus clinical staff.

back to top

back contents next