NZRGPN Press Release, September 26, 2013. For immediate use
Extra nurses in rural primary care encouraging – NZRGPN
The New Zealand Rural General Practice Network is excited about the prospect of seeing more new graduate nurses being
supported to work in primary care.
“Tony Ryall’s announcement that the government is setting up a $1.5 million scholarship fund for 30 new nurse graduates
to work in some VLCA practices across the country for a year, is very welcome.”
Primary care nursing is a speciality field of nursing that is poorly supported currently with few new graduate nursing
programmes encouraging nurses into primary care.
“Approximately one third of rural practices are VLCA and we would hope that this initiative will start a trend that will
see more new graduate nurses not only entering primary care where they are sorely needed, but also looking at high needs
rural practices.”
ENDS