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Bush Bursaries and Country Women's Association Scholarships
What is a Bush Bursary?
Rural Doctors Network (RDN) Bush Bursaries and Country Women's Association (CWA) Scholarships provide selected medical, midwifery, and nursing students in NSW/ACT with $1,500 each to assist with the costs associated with participating in the program, including travel to and from the placement, meals, and other discretionary spending during the placement.
Recipients are paired up by RDN and spend two weeks on a placement in country NSW during their university holidays. The placement aims to provide a rural immersion experience by combining the enjoyable aspects of country life and rural medicine.
The program is funded by individual rural councils across NSW and scholarships are funded by the Country Women's Association of NSW. They are administered by RDN. As such, available placement locations may differ each year due to the involvement of different councils.
Placements are typically undertaken between November and January, but can be at different times of the year if circumstances require. Itineraries and accommodation are coordinated by the rural councils hosting the placement.
Students not honouring their commitment to undertake a rural placement and subsequently provide the necessary documentation from their experiences are required to pay back all money granted to them.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible to apply for the program, students must meet the following requirements:
- Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident of Australia
- Enrolled in a NSW or ACT university in
- First or second year medical degree
- Any year nursing degree
- Any year midwifery degree
- Completed all university study requirements at the time of application
- Read and understood the information set out in the 2023 Program Guidelines
Both rural and urban based students are eligible to apply for the program.
How to apply
Applications for the 2024 Bush Bursaries and Country Women’s Association Scholarships will open soon, and will close on 1 July 2024.
Further information about the program can be found in the 2023 Program Guidelines. Updated guidelines for the 2024 program will be made available soon.
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Testimonials
What previous Bush Bursaries and Country Women's Association Scholarships recipients have said about their placements:
“After our time in Nyngan we both had a huge sense of achievement and confidence that going rural with our future careers is the right path for us. We also found it hard to leave and say goodbye to the medical centre, locals, and each other, as this program made it feel like Nyngan was our home.”
Cynthia Stewart and Bernadette Phillips | Nyngan
“The two weeks that we had in Wentworth were incredible from start to finish, learning about rural medicine and healthcare and sharing stories and making connections.
"We loved our Bush Bursary experience not only for an opportunity to experience rural healthcare but also for the agricultural, culinary and community attractions the region had to offer. We left feeling keen to consider future internships and work experiences in rural and remote Australian areas.”
Sam Isherwood | Wentworth
Read more Bush Bursary testimonials
Find out more
For more information about RDN Bush Bursaries and CWA Scholarships, please see our 2023 Program Guidelines.
For more help exploring the exciting opportunities of a rural health career, email students@nswrdn.com.au.
To receive information about events, programs, and scholarships for students, subscribe to RDN's mailing list and select "Student Opportunities" as an interest:
Read more Bush Bursary articles:
- From camping to C-sections, students experience all rural life has to offer on summer Bush Bursary placements (2024)
- Medical students passionate about our little towns (Australian Rural and Regional News, 2024)
- Bush Bursary Program (Wentworth Shire Council, 2024)
- Med student Maddy Hawthorne enjoys Bush Bursary placement at Bega (2019)
