Assura plc’s Post

Where can we access the details of this reform?

The Australian Federal Government has announced it will be offering – from 1 July 2025 – a means-tested ‘Commonwealth Prac Payment’ of $319.50 a week to students undertaking mandatory, work-based placements in nursing and midwifery, teaching, and social work.   ACEN President Michael O'Connor said: "ACEN congratulates the Government, particularly Ministers Clare and O’Connor, for this historic decision to address placement poverty for students in these key sectors.   "ACEN has historically advocated an evidence-based approach to addressing placement poverty and other equity issues for students undertaking work-integrated learning (WIL), including via submissions to the Universities Accord process.   "Addressing placement poverty for nursing and midwifery, teaching, and social work is an important first step aligned with the Accord Final Report, one that ACEN advocates should be part of a broader effort to improve quality, access and equity for WIL.   "There is compelling evidence that placements and other forms of WIL provide students with critical skills that assist in gaining employment – and that these skills benefit not just students but employers and society more broadly. (ACEN 2023).   "Importantly, the quality of WIL activities can be a better predictor of employability than the duration of WIL activities such as placements.   "The ACEN Board, on behalf of and in collaboration with its wider membership, looks forward to continued discussions on how evidence-based best practice can guide development of highly-impactful and worthy decisions such as the Commonwealth Prac Payment – to ensure quality, access and equity are key drivers of improvements to WIL policy and practice in the years ahead for the benefit of all." aiGroup Universities Australia Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) Business Council of Australia #workintegratedlearning #wil #employability Reference ACEN (2023) The impact of Work Integrated Learning on graduate outcomes – A three-year review Photo: Pexels

Erin Pereira, final year midwifery student at Griffith University in Brisbane, shares the same challenge as many other nursing and midwifery students across Australia: Mandatory unpaid clinical placements. With compiling issues stretching beyond financial instability, including high university drop-out and low attrition rates, the social impacts of lengthy, mandatory unpaid clinical placements are a prominent contributor to the issue. A call for clinical placement reform was placed firmly on the ANMF’s agenda at the 16th Biennial National Conference, where Delegates from across the country passed a motion calling on the ANMF address this critical issue, including lobbying both federal and state governments to support the future nursing and midwifery workforce by securing funding for mandatory clinical placements. The ANMF has emphasised the pivotal role of clinical placement reform in addressing recruitment and retention challenges in its submission to the Australian Government’s National Nursing Workforce Strategy. Read the full article on how the ANMF is advocating for positive change, via the link >> https://lnkd.in/dFmERxFh #anmfact #union #midwives #nurses #act #canberra #nurseadvocacy #midwifeadvocacy

Fabulous initiative to support nursing and midwifery students undertaking mandatory placements as part of their studies. Placements are a critical aspect of learning, transitioning theory to practice and enabling work readiness. https://lnkd.in/dv2JWsU3

Under a new federal government measure, student nurses, midwives, teachers, and social workers will be paid $319.50 per week while undertaking their mandatory clinical placements. Starting July 1st, 2025, the new measure will provide additional income support to students undertaking these, often lengthy and unpaid placements. The ANMF, who has long advocated for paid support for students, commended the government’s pledge, saying it would finally recognise the financial and social pressures student nurses and midwives face. Education Minister, Jason Clare, commented that the government would work with the union and the university sector to ensure it sharpens and defines the means testing model ultimately put into legislation to ensure “we’re giving this to the people who need it the most”. This is a great step in the right direction for improved working and studying requirements for the industry, yet many feel there is still a lot of work to be done. Read the full article via the link >> https://lnkd.in/dMVxQ2kr #anmfact #union #midwives #nurses #act #canberra #placementpoverty

According to a recent report by UCAS, young adult carers are 59% more likely to apply to health and social care causes and 57% more likely to apply to nursing and midwifery courses.   With a higher proportion of carers filling these courses, is your school, college or university ready to meet the challenges and needs of having carers as staff or students?   The Quality Standard in Carer Support supports organisations to identify and support carers as they navigate their way through all stages of education.    For more information on the QSCS, and how we've teamed up in the past with Learning and Work Institute to deliver the driving change program, visit: https://lnkd.in/ehszcBrn

Conducting two mock site visits over the next two weeks! Today and tomorrow we will facilitate meetings with university leadership, faculty and students to prepare for an initial visit by ACME Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education at a prestigious college in the East. This will be the 4th new graduate program Grow Midwives has assisted, with two additional new programs in the pipeline for 2025. Despite the challenges and exhaustive preparation related to accreditation self-reports, the value of this process is well defended by the U.S. Department of Education. https://lnkd.in/gpxn2yfm For midwifery, completing an accredited education program (via multiple pathways) provides assurances that foster educational excellence and ensuring equal access. 👉At a time when midwifery is being HIGHLIGHTED as part of revolutionizing US and global maternity care to improve outcomes, graduates from accredited programs meet the ICM standards for minimum education and competency. https://lnkd.in/guvGn-Rx #GrowMidwives #HeretoHelp #WorcationDay3 #ZoombyDay #campbynight

Help shape the future of healthcare education by completing our Educator Workforce Survey! The Council of Deans of Health have been contracted by NHS-England to undertake an educator survey which aims to develop an understanding of the current state of the academic workforce in nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions across the UK, identifying strategic actions for HEIs necessary to positively influence the education and training of healthcare professions. We aim to gather profession-level workforce data to enable us to identify commonalities and variations in recruitment, retention and career development trends across the professional groups. All the data collected will be anonymised and any analysis undertaken at a regional/national level will maintain institutional anonymity. We will be sharing the results with NHS-England and their counterparts across the UK. We understand that this is a challenging time for many in the higher education sector, and we hope this research will provide valuable insights into the pressures on the educator workforce and help identify scalable solutions to support the sector as a whole.    Check with your university's CoDH rep for survey access. #highereducation  

Transforming Education and Empowering Lives and Communities; The Digital Economy Centre at Sancta Maria Catholic College of Nursing Sciences, Uzairue, #EdoState, has been a beacon of transformation in the past #6months, driving significant improvements in learning outcomes and aligning with United Nations #SDGs particularly, #SDG4 (Quality Education). This initiative has also contributed to #SDG8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), by preparing young health professionals to thrive in a tech-driven workforce. The collaborative effort between the RICHARD GEORGE FOUNDATION under the visionary leadership of Richard George(He4She)MSc,ACMI , IOSHTech (United Kingdom) and NITDA Nigeria under the visionary leadership of DG/CEO Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, has helped revolutionized the academic experience for nursing and midwifery students in this citadel of learning, particularly empowering them to thrive in a digital age. Through the integration of modern IT facilities in the school, 95% of the students now demonstrate core digital skills, a remarkable leap from the initial 5% literacy rate. Also, the students have embraced the use of digital tools to enhance their knowledge and competencies, with participants reporting improved IT proficiency and academic engagement. These advancements have notably strengthened the midwifery skills among Year 2 and Year 3 students, ensuring their readiness for practical applications in healthcare in Nigeria and beyond. Special thanks to our partners and donors who have contributed towards this transformative process. We are eternally grateful. If you would love to be a partner or donor with us kindly send us a mail via info@richardgeorgefoundation.com

For this #ResourceTuesday, we’re spotlighting the Using the Essential Competencies in a Midwifery Curriculum Guide. This invaluable resource provides insights on integrating the ICM Essential Competencies for Midwifery Practice (2024) into midwifery education programs. It supports educators in designing competency-based learning activities and assessments, ensuring students progressively develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for competent practice. 📚 Incorporating these competencies across theoretical and clinical modules ensures that midwifery students gain meaningful practice opportunities, receive constructive feedback, and achieve their professional goals. 💡 Ready to enhance your curriculum? 🔗 https://zurl.co/qOpi