The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) has announced 400 new scholarships for nurses and personal care workers, and a further 100 allied scholarships for dementia-related studies.

The scholarships include guaranteed places for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples each year. The ACN is running the program with the Department of Health and Aged Care.

“The priority of these scholarships is to develop skills for aged care nurses in leadership and clinical management skills, and to improve expertise in areas such as palliative care, dementia care and infection prevention and control,” said Professor Alison McMillan, the Federal Government’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer.

“I’d encourage all nurses and aged care workers working in aged care to look at what courses are available and consider applying for study that will support their career in the long term,” Professor McMillan said.

To be eligible, students must be in a course that has commenced or is continuing in 2023. Courses that are eligible include Nursing Undergraduate, Postgraduate, and Allied Health Postgraduate; the specific courses must relate to aged care or management. Successful completion of a scholarship will also see graduates become eligible for a completion bonus.

Applicants do not need to be ACN members, and applications are open now, closing on October 10 2022. You can find out more about the scholarship program here, or register for interest here.