Rotary backs Bush Bursary program

The Bush Bursary placement program – a joint initiative between the NSW Rural Doctors Network and the CWA – will continue in Narrabri following Rotary’s decision to support the initiative.

In previous years, two medical and healthcare students have travelled to Narrabri for a two-week placement.

On Monday night, the Rotary Club of Narrabri agreed to sponsor three student placements in the shire.

The program provides support to selected medical, midwifery and nursing students to cover travel, accommodation and living cost while on placement.

Rotary Club of Narrabri president Dylan Smith said the club was thrilled to be able to continue the Bush Bursary program in the shire.

“By giving medical and healthcare students the opportunity to see the beauty of living and working in regional NSW, hopefully they will look to the regions once their studies are complete,” he said.

“We all hear about the doctor shortages being experienced across rural areas in Australia.

“Our own shire hasn’t been immune to the shortage of medical professionals.

“Even if we can get just one student to return to regional NSW as a medical professional, supporting this program will be a worthwhile exercise.”

Mr Smith said Rotary was excited to roll out the red carpet and show students why Narrabri is such a great place to live and work.

The Bush Bursary program aims to expose medical students to life in a rural area and hopefully encourage them to return to the bush as qualified doctors and healthcare professionals when they graduate.

In previous years, the students have spent their time on rotations, working at shire hospitals and medical practices.

Richard Colbran, chief executive of the NSW Rural Doctors Network, welcomed the support by Rotary to continue offering placements in Narrabri.

“A key component in addressing the rural workforce shortfall is by attracting passionate and committed health professionals to consider rural and remote opportunities while still studying.

RDN’s Bush Bursaries Program does this by providing medical, nursing, and midwifery students at universities across NSW with a unique opportunity to experience the amazing lifestyle and professional rewards on offer should they choose a career in rural medicine,” Mr Colbran said.

“Last year RDN received a total of 92 applications, but only 38 placements were able to be offered, so we’re thrilled that the Rotary Club of Narrabri has joined the program, allowing us to offer placements in Narrabri Shire.

“More students will have the opportunity to participate and more placements available means more opportunity for RDN to expose the next generation of medical professionals to rural practice and country lifestyle.”

Mr Colbran said Bush Bursaries is a world leading success story with a study showing 45 per cent of scholarship holders were found to still be working in rural areas, two years after graduating.

“This is some of the best success rates in the world,” Mr Colbran said.

“To create a skilled and sustainable health workforce across country NSW, it is vital to work with the next generation of practitioners and encourage them to choose a career in rural health.”

Lachlan Shire Council initiated the scholarships in 1996 and the CWA of NSW first funded a student in 1997, with nursing and midwifery students first eligible for the program in 2019.

Across the past two and a half decades, the program has grown to become a highly respected and sought-after initiative among students interested in a career in rural health, with more than 450 students having participated to date.