Health Workforce Scholarship Program

The Health Workforce Scholarship Program (HWSP) provides scholarships and bursaries to help health professionals in rural and remote Australia retain and enhance their skills, capacity and scope of practice. The Program is an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Health, administered in New South Wales by NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN).

The HWSP is available to medical, nursing, midwifery, allied health, dental and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals providing primary health care in the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) sector, non-government organisations and private practice.

COVID-19 AND HWSP

Due to restrictions currently in place surrounding COVID-19, many courses and conferences have been postponed or cancelled. If you have received approval for a course or conference that has been cancelled, please advise the HWSP team by contacting hwsp@nswrdn.com.au   

Many training opportunities are now being presented online. HWSP is available to support online learning including digital conferences, webinars and courses. As the duration of the restrictions surrounding COVID-19 is unknown, RDN will be prioritising and processing applications for online courses or postgraduate studies only.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions, please email hwsp@nswrdn.com.au.

Who is eligible?

You must meet the eligibility requirements to apply. These requirements are set out in detail in the HWSP Applicant Guidelines. Please read these carefully before commencing an application. You can also read the HWSP Frequently Asked Questions.

Applicant Guidelines

What funding is available?

The HWSP offers two types of funding:

• Scholarships: A payment up to $10,000 per year, for up to two years, toward the cost of completing a postgraduate course leading to a postgraduate qualification
• Bursaries: A payment up to $10,000 (maximum of $10,000 in total in one year) for professional development and upskilling course fees and associated accommodation and travel-related expenses

What can you study?

RDN's annual Health Workforce Needs Assessment (HWNA) forms the basis for determining the allocation of funding under the HWSP. The HWNA has identified specific upskilling and training areas as a priority for NSW. These are detailed in the HWSP Applicant Guidelines and on the HWSP FAQ page.

Application process

Before you apply you will need to:

1. assess your eligibility by reading the HWSP Applicant Guidelines
2. set up a MyRDN account
3. collect your supporting documentation
4. submit your application via the MyRDN portal.

All applications are assessed against the needs of the community. Scholarships and bursaries will be awarded to those who wish to undertake study and training that help to fill a health service gap or address the health needs of specific communities.

Please apply early. Due to the popularity of the Program, it can take six to eight weeks to process an application. 

Apply Now

Questions?

We can help. Please first check the HWSP FAQ page. If then you require more information, please email RDN or call us on 02 4924 8000.