In a significant move to tackle the persistent gaps in women’s healthcare, the federal government has announced a new scholarship fund targeting nurses and midwives. The Primary Care Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship Program, backed by a $50 million investment over four years, aims to provide 1,850 places for healthcare workers seeking to qualify as nurse practitioners or endorsed midwives.

The introduction of this scholarship program comes at a crucial time, as doctors have raised concerns about the double standards women face within the Medicare system and the struggles pregnant women encounter in accessing essential medications. By empowering more nurses and midwives to prescribe medications, order pathology tests, and perform procedures such as contraceptive implant insertions, the government hopes to bridge these gaps and improve the overall quality of women’s healthcare.

Krystal Fanning, a midwife based in Toowoomba, has firsthand experience of the challenges that arise when healthcare professionals lack prescribing powers. “Supporting women and their partners and families through that whole antenatal period, then postnatal … to be that person that is guiding them and empowering them to do what they innately can do, it’s just the best job in the world,” she said. However, Fanning often encounters delays when she needs to track down a colleague with higher qualifications to prescribe routine medications for nausea or mastitis, or to write referrals for ultrasounds and pathology tests.

Fanning aspires to become an endorsed midwife herself, gaining the necessary prescribing powers to better serve her patients. However, the high cost of pursuing further education, coupled with the rising cost of living, has been a deterrent. The course she would need to undertake costs approximately $2,000 per unit of study, quickly accumulating into a substantial financial burden. The introduction of the scholarship program has given Fanning renewed hope, and she plans to be among the first to apply once applications open.

Eleanor Crighton, a nurse practitioner and endorsed midwife based in Gippsland, has already navigated the challenging path to obtaining these qualifications. While the process was costly, involving time away from paid employment, travel expenses, and other associated costs, Crighton believes the impact on her patients has been significant. She hopes that the scholarship fund will enable more students to follow in her footsteps, ultimately improving patient access to healthcare, particularly in rural areas where wait times for clinical reviews can be lengthy.

The Australian College of Nurse Practitioners, which will administer the scholarships, emphasizes the importance of increasing access to these qualifications. CEO Leanne Boase stated, “It’s a really tough path, but it does produce the very best and get the very best out of our nurses.” She added that the scholarships will help alleviate one of the many stressors that nurses and midwives face when pursuing postgraduate education while already working in demanding roles.

Assistant Minister for Health Ged Kearney, a former nurse herself, recognizes the impact that further study can have on enhancing leadership and clinical skills. She believes that the scholarship program will complement the government’s recent change allowing nurse practitioners to prescribe more medicines, ultimately improving patient care. “We know that attracting and retaining nurses and midwives in primary and aged care has been a challenge – particularly in our regions,” Kearney said. “This program will go a long way to ensuring Australians can get the best quality care regardless of where they live.”

The launch of the scholarship fund comes in the wake of a Senate inquiry in May 2023, which found that women across Australia were facing significant challenges in accessing abortion, contraception, pregnancy, and birth care. Increasing access to long-acting reversible contraception and pregnancy termination is a key goal of the government’s national women’s health strategy, alongside improving pregnancy care. Health Minister Mark Butler and Assistant Minister Kearney have stated that the findings of the Senate inquiry will inform how these commitments are achieved, although the government’s response to the report’s recommendations is now nearly a year overdue.

As the government moves forward with the implementation of the Primary Care Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship Program, healthcare professionals like Krystal Fanning and Eleanor Crighton remain hopeful that this initiative will not only ease the financial burden on aspiring nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives but also contribute to a more equitable and accessible healthcare system for women across Australia. By investing in the education and empowerment of nurses and midwives, the government is taking a significant step towards addressing the persistent gaps in women’s healthcare and ensuring that all Australians, regardless of their location or circumstances, can access the high-quality care they deserve.