- New postgraduate qualification successfully upskilling WA nurses
- High uptake for fully-funded program for registered nurses who want to be midwives
- Partnership between the Cook Government through WA Health and The University of Notre Dame
The Cook Government's paid student midwifery pilot program has successfully upskilled its first cohort of nurses - bolstering the State's midwife workforce.
Fifteen newly qualified midwives are now delivering care to women and babies in regional, rural and remote Western Australia thanks to the pilot program.
The State Government provided funding for full scholarships to support eligible WA Country Health registered nurses to complete an 18-month Graduate Diploma of Midwifery program at The University of Notre Dame.
Through the program, midwifery students can access flexible working arrangements, fully-funded course fees and practicum placements across healthcare facilities in both metropolitan and rural areas - from large teaching hospitals to small healthcare centres.
A further 30 registered nurses in the pilot program, who are based across country and metropolitan WA, will graduate as midwives at the end of the year.
Program graduates are registered by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency as midwives with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
Comments attributed to Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson:
"This program is a fantastic initiative giving registered nurses the opportunity to further their careers without the financial burden of a university degree.
"Midwives are highly trained maternity care providers delivering women-centred care during pregnancy, birth and postnatal period.
"The State Government is committed to bolstering our midwifery workforce now and into the future."
