In an unprecedented decision, Bendigo's La Trobe Rural Health School will open its nursing undergraduate degree to mid-year intakes to battle severe workforce shortages in the health industry.
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The hard truth of the matter is there is "just not enough nurses on the wards to deal with the current demand", according to the school's nursing and midwifery discipline lead Associate Professor Melissa Deacon-Crouch.
The school's historic move will allow up to 130 new students to begin nursing undergraduate degrees across all four of La Trobe's regional campuses, which includes Mildura, Shepparton and Albury-Wodonga as well as Bendigo.
La Trobe's Professor Jane Mills said all options must be considered in order to address staffing shortages.
Professor Mills, who is the university's pro vice-chancellor of health innovation and dean of La Trobe's Rural Health School, said the decision to open the school's doors mid-year to new students for the first time was aimed at addressing the critical workforce shortage felt in nursing and the broader healthcare industry.
"Regional and rural Victorians deserve high-quality healthcare, and we need to do as much as we can to ensure the current workforce shortages are addressed," she said.
"Being innovative and flexible in our approach will be key to the sustainability and success of our healthcare professionals in the future."
'Just not enough nurses available'
Associate Professor Deacon-Crouch said the mid-year intake allowed people considering a career change or those interested in starting nursing to begin as soon as possible.
"Our nursing students receive a first-class education from our lecturers and our clinical partners, preparing them to meet the growing needs of regional and rural Australians," she said.
"However, the simple truth is there are just not enough nurses available to serve our communities at the moment and we want this to change.
"If you are thinking of going into nursing, this new arrangement means you don't have to wait until next year to start - I really want to spread that message as widely as possible."
Government financial help in place for students
New undergraduates will also benefit from a new placement payment introduced by the Federal Government in the most recent budget, which will begin mid-way through 2025.
This entitles nursing and midwifery students to a $319.50 weekly stipend during clinical and professional placements.
Applications for the first intake open this month, with the new cohort of students due to begin their undergraduate degrees in mid-July.
The move to allow mid-year student intake forms part of La Trobe University's Health Innovation Strategy which aims to deliver an additional 4,800 people into key healthcare fields by 2030.
It is the university's largest ever investment in the health sector.
