In March, Health Minister Greg Hunt announced that the Government would provide up to $2.5 million funding for the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) for a free online refresher course for RNs to re-enter the workforce and help with the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now the Minister has revealed nearly 2,500 nurses have now completed the course with another 500 expected to have finished the training by the end of May – three weeks from now – a cost of around $833 per participant.
Over 5,000 nurses registered their interest for the program and 3,000 scholarships were awarded.
The course provided an overview on the contemporary requirements of a clinical care nurse, with a focus on current infection prevention and control in the post-COVID world.
The question is now: with the rate of cases in Australia falling daily and a heightened focus on infection control in aged care, will some of those nurses find jobs in the sector?
