20 December 2023

Nurses are the largest group of healthcare professionals and have the capacity and expertise to improve health equity and access for all rural Australians.[1] Rural nurses provide emergency and primary health care services to rural communities across Australia.[2] Rural nurses must be able to think critically and provide care for patients of all ages with complex health needs, often in challenging. [...] These measures ensure better health outcomes for people living in rural and remote areas and a more robust and resilient nursing workforce.[4] The Alliance believes the Australian and state/territory governments need to work together more effectively and further invest in policies and strategies to encourage and retain rural nurses to practice in rural areas of Australia. [...] Up until the release of the National Rural and Remote Nursing Generalist Framework for registered nurses working or seeking to work in rural locations across Australia there has been no nationally consistent framework to provide nurses with the professional and practical guidance about nursing skills, and attributes required to work and provide healthcare for those living in rural and remote regio. [...] Given the educational value of this Nursing Framework to preparing nurses for rural practice, the Alliance recommends this Framework be implemented by rural nursing educators and healthcare employers as a tool to inform curriculum and support nurses to develop the clinical and non-clinical skill to practice to their full scope of practice in a rural community.[19, 20] Furthermore, The Alliance req. [...] The Alliance acknowledges and supports the Primary Care Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship Program grant opportunity to support registered nurses and nurse practitioners with post graduate study in an effort to build a health workforce in primary, aged care and in rural Australia.[23] The Alliance believes rural Australians deserve and must have equitable health care.