January 12, 2018

UOW working to address nursing shortfall in South Western Sydney

New nursing educational facility to provide vital skills to the region

The University of Wollongong (UOW) is committed to helping South Western Sydney address the “catastrophic” shortage of nursing staff in the region through the delivery of exceptional education designed to meet local health needs.

The ABC reported that modelling released today (12 January) under Freedom of Information forecasts a shortfall of approximately 8000 enrolled nurses and midwives in South Western Sydney by 2030, with only 72,000 nurses and midwives available to fill approximately 80,000 positions. The booming population of the area, combined with the predicted shortfall of nursing staff, will place huge demands on the health care system.

UOW aims to help alleviate the projected nursing shortage in South Western Sydney by providing world-class education and training facilities that will enable local students to undertake their courses without leaving home and keep these skills in the region.

In 2017, UOW opened the South Western Sydney Campus, based in Liverpool, with the aim of investing in the education and training needs of the region.

From 2019, subject to course approval, UOW will begin offering nursing degrees at the South Western Sydney Campus. The following year, 2020, will see the establishment of the Western Sydney Nursing Education and Research Centre (WeSNER), dedicated to training the next generation of nurses to serve the area’s growing population.

UOW’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Health and Communities), Professor Alison Jones, said the establishment of nursing courses at the Liverpool-based campus would be integral to meeting the health needs of the region.

“Nurses are the unsung heroes of our health care system,” Professor Jones said. “The University of Wollongong is committed to providing world-class training and education to our nursing students to ensure they can provide the best possible care to the people they serve. This is a topic we are passionate about, as each and every one of us will need health care at some point in our lives. It is an issue that affects every person in society.

“Through the delivery of nursing degrees in South Western Sydney, beginning next year, as well as the opening of WeSNER in 2020, UOW is making a long-term investment in the South Western Sydney region.

“We are helping local students become nurses while keeping those vital skills in the area. This will be essential to ensuring that the health care needs are met in the short-term and for generations to come by people to understand the local community.”

There are currently close to 2000 students enrolled in nursing courses across UOW’s five nursing training facilities, with South Western Sydney to offer an additional 260 nursing places. WeSNER will be the University’s sixth nursing training facility with students set to benefit from training and education tailored to local health care needs.