Media releases

Federation University Australia is a critical supporter of healthcare through Victoria, with thousands of new graduates entering the sector each year, while also supporting healthcare providers during their placements.

Federation’s impact on the health sector in regional, rural, and metropolitan areas across the state is significant, with over 2600 university and TAFE students on placement in 2024 across disciplines including Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Psychology and Speech Pathology.

These placements not only help support communities spanning the state, but also provide graduates with invaluable hands-on experience supporting patients in fast-paced work environments.

During her studies, third-year Bachelor of Nursing student, Rebecca De Bruyn has completed placements in several public and private healthcare facilities including specialities in rehabilitation, adolescent mental health, paediatrics, and theatre. She will also travel as part of a group of Federation students for placement at the Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital in Benapa, Nepal in September.

“The placements have given me hands-on experience in consolidating theory to practice in a real-world setting. I plan on working in paediatric and neonatal care in the future and hope to continue my studies doing a post-grad in Midwifery. During my studies with Federation I have had great lecturers, excellent clinical labs to learn in, and I've met some lifelong friends.”

Federation has forged partnerships with key health providers throughout Victoria and interstate including Grampians Health, Bass Coast Health, Latrobe Regional Health, and West Gippsland Health Service, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Ballarat Community Health, Goulburn Valley Health, Royal Flying Doctors, Barwon Health, and Grampians Health.

Placements take place in a variety of settings including hospitals, aged care homes, schools, clinics, community health care centres and private providers in locations from Horsham and Stawell in the west of the state, to Ballarat and the Central Highlands, Geelong, Goulburn Valley, Melbourne, and throughout Gippsland.

Students in Nursing and Midwifery will soon be able to access Commonwealth Prac Payments which were recently announced by the Commonwealth. These payments will help support students during mandatory work placements, with the payments expected to benefit 68,000 eligible higher education students and over 5,000 vocational education and training (VET) sector students each year.

Quote attributable to Federation University Australia Executive Dean, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research, Professor Remco Polman

“Clinical placements provide our students with real world practical learning opportunities which are hard to reproduce in the classroom or through simulation. Placement bridges the theory learned in the classroom with practice and provides a holistic approach to developing technical and soft skills like teamwork, collaboration, and critical thinking, as well as interactions with patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Clinical placements provide the student with instant feedback, fosters confidence and networking opportunities for future employment.”