The bush will benefit from an expansion of programs to increase the number of junior doctors and nurse practitioners in regional and rural locations.
The Rural Resident Medical Cadetship Program will be expanded by offering an additional 32 cadetships across the state, bringing the total number of scholarships on offer to 50.
Nationals Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor said the number of nurse practitioners in regional NSW will be doubled to 200 over four years.
“Nurse practitioners play an incredibly important role in rural locations where it’s a challenge to attract doctors, and this announcement is an enormous boost for these communities,” Mts Taylor said.
“These are highly skilled nursing professionals that can operate autonomously in complex clinical settings.
“By adding these extra doctors and nurses, we are providing our hardworking regional health workforce with vital backup and ensuring better health outcomes and a brighter future for NSW families.”
The Rural Doctor Scholarships Program is administered by the Rural Doctors Network.
The NSW Nationals in the state government announced the largest workforce boost in the nation’s history in the 2022-23 Budget with a $4.5 billion investment over four years to recruit 10,148 full-time equivalent staff to hospitals and health services across NSW.
3,800 of those positions will be in rural and regional areas.
