The future of regional nursing is bright

This is sponsored content for University of New England (UNE).

Whether you live in the beating heart of a bustling Melbourne CBD, or as far west as the stunning Pilbara, with its red-earthed gorges and coastal plains, it's true that every Australian deserves access to informed, quality healthcare.

And for many Australians, that begins with a regional nurse.

Despite 362,855 nurses being employed in Australia in 2022, the demand for skilled professionals continues to rise and nowhere is that demand felt more deeply than in regional or rural towns.

"Growing up in Scone and spending time in places like Maitland, I saw what poor health literacy and lack of service can do to regional communities and it gave me a bit of a drive to want to help," said Lachlan Robinson, a current University of New England (UNE) student studying a Bachelor of Nursing.

Lachlan has found that a Bachelor of Nursing at UNE offers him both the freedom to pursue a lifestyle in the regions but also to achieve a better quality of life due to the altruistic nature of the profession.

"I want to help people that need it. As a regional nurse, I'll be doing my work in a more comfortable area or an area I'm happier working in, which will increase my ability to care for people," he said.

For Jannell Hooper, a current UNE Bachelor of Nursing student and Orange local, her inspiration to become a nurse came from witnessing first-hand the impact that nurses can have on people's lives.

"I never ever thought about being a nurse and then my first daughter was actually a premature baby born at 33 weeks. We ended up spending time down in NICU in Sydney and then special care here in Orange. Watching how the team coordinated and cared for her...I was like 'I want to do that for someone else'," said Jannell.

UNE's Bachelor of Nursing degree is offered for students both in-person at the Armidale campus but also online, giving students the flexibility to live and work in other regional areas across Australia while completing their studies.

Online students also get to attend what is called 'intensives', which are three-day workshops to learn practical nursing skills, additional coursework and take a tri-annual exam in person at the Armidale campus.

"The intensives that they host are absolutely fantastic and promote heaps of opportunities to learn. Living in a rural area, working with lecturers who are actively working in the hospitals and understand what it's like being in regional nursing makes a massive difference. It bridges the connection between theory and practicality," said Lachlan.

For Jannell, online study has also meant that she can continue to live with her husband and two daughters, work a full-time job and still complete coursework at her own pace.

"The content is very much completed at your own pace. We do it within a week, so I still have Monday to Friday to get my work done," said Jannell.

Despite worrying that she wouldn't make any friends due to the majority of the course being online, Jannell's favourite memory at UNE has been the friendships she has made.

"I was a bit nervous to study online because I was thinking I wouldn't make any friends. But [through the intensives], I've actually found a couple of ladies who will be lifelong friends. Just being able to relate to them and kind of say, 'hey I'm struggling with this' and we all help each other through our own little study sessions," said Jannell.

Regional nurses face challenges every day. With an ageing population in rural areas, limited healthcare resources and geographical barriers, there has never been a more poignant time to consider becoming a nurse in a regional area.

But, despite the challenges faced, Lachlan believes there is a brighter future in healthcare for regional Australians.

"I believe that with an increase in the scope of practice for nurses, especially for RNs and nurse practitioners, as well as the existence of rural universities like UNE, we will empower towns and people to have (their) chosen lifestyle because we'll have those health services out in the country for them."

"We'll have nurses who can do different procedures and have a better understanding generally. So, they might not necessarily need a doctor, which will allow for better general population health," said Lachlan.

If you're considering a degree in regional nursing, Jannell's advice for future students is particularly inspiring: "Go for it. Don't doubt yourself. I initially said to myself, 'oh, I'm not smart enough to do that' but you'd be surprised what can happen if you're passionate about something. It's amazing what you can achieve," said Jannell.