Offering scholarship funding again in 2015 to allow health centres in high needs communities to employ new graduate nurses is “fantastic” news, says South Auckland nurse leader Karyn Sangster.
Health Minister Tony Ryall announced yesterday that the initially one-off scholarship fund for very low cost access (VCLA) practices to employ new graduate nurses was to be offered again in 2015.
High interest from general practices in high needs communities in 2014 saw the initial number of scholarships boosted from 30 to 48 at a cost of $2.4 million, with graduates placed in practices from Kaikohe in the north to Aranui in Christchurch.
Ryall said next year the Government was offering 25 graduate scholarships at a cost of $1.5 million after feedback from general practices and graduate nurses was so positive.
In the first round, 13 of the scholarships were won by practices in Counties Manukau District Health Board, where Karyn Sangster is primary health care nursing director.
Sangster said it was “fantastic news” that the scholarships would be offered again and she expected high interest from practices again and from graduates keen to find positions.
She also said it would be wonderful if the scholarships could become a regular occurrence allowing practices to plan and budget for new workforce initiatives.
Sangster said the current scholarship nurses had settled into their practices and were contributing very well to improving the health outcomes of the communities they were serving. She said as part of the scholarship application that practices had to show how they could continue employing the graduate once the 12 month scholarship fund runs out in January.
Applications are made by the practice and local DHB for the approximately $50,000 scholarships, which pay for the new grad’s salary and preceptor time for a year. The graduates also have to be signed up to their local DHB’s NETP (nursing entry to practice) programmes and recruitment will begin in mid-August at the same time as applications open for NETP programmes.
