Professional development grants for the rural health workforce.
Health Workforce Scholarship Program round 16 applications will open from 9am Monday 17 February 2025 til midnight Sunday 9 March 2025.
To express your interest and be notified when Round 16 opens, please fill in your details here:
The Health Workforce Scholarship Program (HWSP) is an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, administered in Western Australia (WA) by Rural Health West. The HWSP provides scholarships and bursaries to help health professionals in rural and remote Australia retain and enhance their skills, capacity and scope of practice.
Scholarship and bursary eligibility includes:
- Qualified health professionals working in the field of medicine, nursing, midwifery, dental, pharmacy or allied health (including Aboriginal health practitioners).
- Working in a primary care role in rural and remote Western Australia in private practice, an Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS), Aboriginal Community Controlled Health organisation (ACCHO) or a non-government or not-for-profit organisation.
- Employed by an organisation providing services in a MMM 3-7 location or and ACCHS in MMM 1-7 location. Refer to the Health Workforce Locator to identify your MMM (Modified Monash Model) 2019 location classification.
To apply, you must meet the eligibility requirements. The full eligibility requirements and exclusions are detailed in the Program Guidelines below.
If you have any further questions regarding eligibility, please contact [email protected]
What funding is available?
We can provide eligible health professionals with the following:
Bursary: Payments of up to $10,000 within a 12-month period that covers the cost of course fees and training related expenses such as travel and accommodation where appropriate. Including online or face-to-face: short courses, workshops, conferences and supervision.
Scholarship: Payments up to $10,000 per year can be provided for up to two years, to attain a post graduate qualification of either a postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma, Master or PhD.
Please note:
- There are two funding rounds each year, held in February and September.
- Applicants must be employed in a full-time or part-time role.
- Retrospective costs are not able to be covered. Which includes courses being held prior to the application round.
- Submitting an application through the Health Workforce Scholarship Program does not guarantee funding. Applications will be assessed based on the Program Guidelines and the Health Workforce Needs Analysis.
- Applications can take up to 10 weeks to review. The responsibility lies with the applicant to choose whether to pay for and complete the course prior to receiving notification of the application outcome.
Application checklist
Please note for this round the maximum number of approved applications will be two per person. Applicants can submit multiple applications each round but each course/activity must be submitted on a new application. Multiple courses on the one submission will not be assessed.
All applicants should complete this checklist prior to submitting an application.
- I have read the PROGRAM GUIDELINES and assessed my eligibility to apply.
- I am a health professional who provides primary care services (ie. dentist, nurse, midwife, allied health professional, medical practitioner, Aboriginal Health Practitioner).
- I am providing primary care services in the private or non-government health sector, in a rural or remote area of Western Australia classified as MM 3-7, OR; providing primary care services in an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation in Western Australia in an area classified as MM 1-7 (check your MM location here).
- The course/activity I am applying for funding for, will commence after 17 February 2025 and before August 2025. Funding cannot be used for retrospective costs (ie. courses that are held prior to the round opening date).
- I am proposing to undertake study or training that will help meet identified health needs, skill shortages or workforce needs in the community. You will be asked to address these two question in your application:
1. What is the health need/skill shortage/workforce need that has been identified in your community?
2. How will the community benefit from your completion of the course/activity?
- I am proposing to continue providing primary health care services in an eligible location and organisation after completing my training/study.
- I have updated my CV (Resume) ready to upload with my application.
- I have completed a budget to accompany my application (ie. course fees and any accommodation or travel expenses that relate to the course).
If you have any further questions regarding eligibility, please contact [email protected]
