Rural Allied Health Scholarship (RAHUS) & Nursing and Allied Health Scholarship and Support Scheme (NAHSSS) Undergraduate (Entry-Level) Scholarship: Completed Scholar Survey Results

Rural Allied Health Scholarship (RAHUS) & Nursing and Allied Health Scholarship and Support Scheme (NAHSSS) Undergraduate (Entry-Level) Scholarship: Completed Scholar Survey Results Report

• Author(s): Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH),
• Published: 2013
• Publisher: Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health

Link to resource Report broken link

Abstract: This report examines whether the financial support provided under the Nursing and Allied Health Scholarship and Support Scheme (NAHSSS) Undergraduate (Entry-Level) Scholarship, formerly known as the Rural Allied Health Undergraduate Scholarship (RAHUS) Scheme, encourages allied health graduates to take up careers in rural and remote Australia. The aim of the Scheme is to increase the number of students who grew up in rural and remote areas of Australia to enter and complete allied health undergraduate or graduate entry tertiary studies. The findings in this report have been collected from surveys of completing scholars who were recipients of the Undergraduate (Entry-Level) Scholarship Scheme from 2006 until 2012. Over that period, 685 undergraduate students received a scholarship. The report finds that 61% of scholars who responded to the survey are now employed in rural and remote areas. Of these, 64% are working in their home state and 22% are working within 100 kilometres of their home town. Most were working in Physiotherapy, followed by Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology, Dietetics and Medical Radiation Science. Of the 165 responses received, the survey found: • 61% of allied health graduates are working in rural and remote settings • 31% are working in a metropolitan area • 7% who are working in metropolitan areas say they will be returning to a rural area • 64% are working in their home state or territory • 34% were employed in a rural hospital setting • 25% were employed in a community health/welfare facility • 4% had started their own business Recommendation: These survey results offer strong evidence of the need for the NAHSSS Undergraduate (Entry-Level) Scholarship to continue into the future, in order to meet Australia’s need for a more equitable distribution of allied health professionals nationally, especially in rural and remote Australia

• Urls: http://sarrah.org.au/sites/default/files/docs/scholar_survey_2013.pdf Available from
• Publisher Location: Canberra