Nursing and allied health students
When you’re heading off on a rural clinical placement, you need accommodation. You might also be looking for resources to plan, financial help or personal, social or academic support. Here’s a range of support services to help you plan and enjoy your placement.
Monash health professions students can access support right across Victoria through a collaboration between Monash, the University of Melbourne and Deakin University.
Accommodation
In north-west Victoria and Gippsland, Monash Rural Health offers accommodation at these sites:
- Bairnsdale
- Bendigo
- Mildura
- Moe
- Sale
- Traralgon
- Warragul
- Wonthaggi
For placements in north-east and western Victoria you can contact the University of Melbourne.
For placements in south-west Victoria you can contact Deakin University.
If your placement is anywhere else in Australia, you can find similar support on the Australian Rural Health Education Network (AHREN) website. The site lists the location of all university departments of rural health across Australia.
Financial help for rural and regional placements
If you need financial help to go on a clinical placement, you can apply for a Monash Practical Placement Bursary. Student loans and emergency grants are also available to eligible students. Monash also offers support if you're heading overseas for a placement.
RWAV scholarships
RWAV (Rural Workforce Agency) Victoria offers grants of up to $2000 to help medicine, nursing and allied health students to do placements in regional or rural Victoria. Look under Future Workforce Grants for guidelines and an application form.
Australian Association of Social Workers rural scholarship
AASW offers one scholarship of up to $2000 each year to social work students who can demonstrate a commitment to rural social care. Applications close in early December. See the AASW website for details. (Scroll down for details of the scholarship.)
Going Rural support scheme
The Going Rural Health Student Support Scheme can help you with up to $200 per week towards the cost of accommodation and travel when you're doing a rural clinical placement. The scheme is administered by the University of Melbourne, but open to students from any university doing a placement in central and north-east Victoria, and the Ballarat and Grampians regions. (It doesn't cover medical students.) Take a look at the Going Rural Health website for details.
A specific bursary to support Master of Psychology student placements is also available.
Helpful resources when you're going on a rural placement
Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH) has produced two learning modules that will help you prepare to work in a rural setting:
Support during your placement
Student support and mental health
Monash provides a range of personal, social and academic support for students. See the faculty guide for accessing student support.
The National Rural Health Student Network (NRHSN) produces a guide to mental health: When the cowpat hits the windmill: a guide to staying mentally fit.
Someone to talk to on-site
At each of Monash Rural Health’s training sites, you can also find someone to talk to:
| Site | Name | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Bairnsdale | Donna Reed |
(03) 5122 7991 mrh-eastgippsland.enquiries@monash.edu |
| Bendigo | Georgea Lehmann |
(03) 5440 9037 mrh-bendigo.enquiries@monash.edu |
| Mildura | Louise Hodgetts |
(03) 5022 5536 mrh-mildura.enquiries@monash.edu |
| Sale | Fiona Davies |
(03) 5143 8500 mrh-eastgippsland.enquiries@monash.edu |
| Traralgon | Tina Whitney |
(03) 5122 7231 mrh-lvwg.enquiries@monash.edu |
| Warragul (including Leongatha, Moe and Morwell) | Rhiannon Quilty |
(03) 9902 7300 mrh-warragul.enquiries@monash.edu |
At all our main teaching sites you have access to student lounges, Eduroam Wi-Fi, simulation suites and libraries. We can also connect you with student social events, local sporting clubs and activities, the safest cycling or running routes, the best place to find a coffee … just ask.