Health Workforce (HW) postgraduate study funding for nurses

Applications for 2021 closed on the 11th October 2020. To be placed on the waitlist please use the 'apply here' link below.

Apply here

CCDHB works with Health Workforce (HW) and tertiary education providers to support registered nurses across the district to study towards postgraduate qualifications.

Nurses can apply for papers that build towards a postgraduate qualification. HW prioritise funding towards a qualification rather than individual papers i.e. Postgraduate Certificate (60 pts), Postgraduate Diploma (120 pt) or Master (180 and 240 pts).

Before you apply

Use the Four Steps to Career Planning to help you identify the goals, activities, timelines and resources you need to achieve your career vision and work through the career planning process.

Please make an appointment for a career conversation with one of the following people:

Career planning enables the following to be discussed:

• Whether your current role requires this level of preparation
• What your future career aspirations are
• Your level of role at present and PDRP level
• Alignment of your plan with the Nursing and Midwifery Priorities 2019-2023
• Likelihood of funding dependent on demand on this funding stream

The application form will take approximately 20 minutes to complete and you will not be able to save your progress if you cannot complete it in one sitting.

Learn more about study

University of Otago

Hear about the many postgraduate opportunities in health available through our Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch campuses or via distance learning – all from the comfort of your own home.

You'll be able to ask questions via chat and sit in on presentations for different subject areas, including Public Health.

Preview the full event programme

Registration for Postgraduate Virtual Information Evening is now open. We hope you are able to join us. Please register in advance.

Register now

For more information on the University of Otago’s postgraduate courses in health, visit otago.ac.nz/postgradhealth or email postgrad.uow@otago.ac.nz

Victoria University of Wellington

Massey University

Whitireia

• HW postgraduate study funding guide
• PD Funding Framework for nurses and midwives
• CCDHB postgraduate study funding advisory group terms of reference

This application process is for the entire 2021 academic year i.e. Summer School, Semester 1 and Semester 2.

Steps include:

1. View the videos for Professional Development Career Conversations and the Tertiary Education Provider video of where you want to study

2. Complete your Professional Development and Career Plan (PDCP) in discussion with the appropriate person (Manager, Nurse Educator, DON) and identify career goals and how you will attain them i.e. appropriate paper/ programme choices in relation to your role and career plan. The Manager/NE and applicant agree and sign PDCP.

3. Check your eligibility with:

• HW criteria
• Your Tertiary Education Provider

4. Apply - HW application form: It is important that all sections are completed. If you are having difficulties completing the application form, please contact the Nursing and Midwifery Office (NAMO) Data and Funding Support for assistance.

5. Ensure the NAMO has received a copy of your PDCP and academic transcript. Email to professional.development@ccdhb.org.nz

6. Your application should reach the NAMO before the deadline. You will receive an email acknowledging receipt of your application.

7. HHS only - Your service DON and line manager will prioritise applications for their area considering roster implications, skill mix on ward, how this paper will improve patient outcomes, how it fits with your areas PD plan, PDRP level of the applicant. Nursing and Midwifery Leadership complete the prioritisation process within the funding allocation.

Contact

Anjana Naidu
Associate Director of Nursing, Workforce Development
Nursing and Midwifery Office
DDI: 04 806 0679
email: Anjana.Naidu@ccdhb.org.nz

Criteria for Application for HHS nurses

The criteria below is the minimum requirement for eligibility. Prioritisation follows the initial application supported by line managers and Directors of Nursing.

• Current PDRP portfolio at time of application (excludes primary)
• 0.6FTE and above
• Educational preparation the role requires for delivery to service outcomes
• parameters for HHS applicants eligibility for one paper are:
  • Competent RNs may be funded to PG certificate level (2 papers) based on service specifications/role
  • Proficient RNs may be funded to PG certificate/diploma level (2 to 3 papers) based on service specifications/role
  • Expert RNs may be funded to PG diploma level (4 papers) based on service specifications/role
  • The first 3 papers that are prioritised are Pathophysiology/anatomy and physiology, Advanced assessment, Pharmacology
  • RN Expert on a service agreed NP pathway may be funded to Masters level based on service specifications
  • Nurses in senior designated roles may be funded to Masters level
  • Nurse Educators may be funded to Masters level with a focus on education

Eligibility guiding principles/criteria

Late applications will not be considered.

NOTE: All funding is at the discretion of the Chief Nursing Officer

• Support Flowchart for Prescribing Practicum
• Prescribing Practicum Support Plan

If you are planning to undertake a RN prescribing practicum or Nurse Practitioner (NP) advanced practice and prescribing practicum course, approval to enrol is required at a service level and from the NAMO. Support to undertake the practicum courses relies on organisational agreement for role development during and after the practicum. A Prescribing Practicum Support Plan must be prepared before commencing the paper. This information also informs work-site planning, HW funding prioritisation and DHB workforce development.

A Prescribing Practicum Support Plan will address the additional expectations for clinical teaching, prescribing supervision (often medical or NP) and advanced practice mentoring associated with these papers. HW funding contributes towards the additional costs associated with completing a NP advanced practice and prescribing practicum (e.g. professional supervision, clinical release). 

Professional supervision

If professional supervision is part of your practicum plan, a list of supervisors can be obtained by emailing professional.development@ccdhb.org.nz once your application is approved.

Application for up to 10-hours clinical mentoring support must be approved prior to undertaking a course requiring this.

Clinical mentoring is the provision of clinical teaching and coaching to support the HW trainee (nurse) to extend knowledge and skills through clinical experience, critical thinking, skilled health assessment and comprehension of diagnostic measures and outcomes. These skills are required for evidence based clinical reasoning.

Assessment courses that may require clinical mentoring

An assessment paper that requires learning and practicing new clinical assessment skills through accessing clinical mentoring to extend practice in the workplace or a new setting.

• Assessment and Clinical Decision Making (Massey University)
• Advanced Assessment and Therapuetic Intervention in Mental Health (Massey University)
• Advanced Assessment and Clinical Reasoning (Victoria University of Wellington)
• Advanced Mental Health Assessment (University of Auckland)
  

CCDHB provides funding for cultural supervision/mentoring and resources to support Māori and Pacific registered nurses undertaking HW funded postgraduate study.

Cultural Support funding is open to any person who has whakapapa and cultural links to whānau, hapū and iwi (for Māori) or is of Pacific Peoples descent and has established cultural links to the Pacific Peoples' communities.

Students who identify as Māori or Pacific Peoples descent in their application, will be invited to participate in a hui or fono to learn more about the cultural support.

Definitions

Cultural supervision

Either a formal or informal relationship between members of the same culture with the purpose being to ensure that the supervisee is practising according to the values, protocols and practices of that particular culture. It is about cultural accountability and cultural development (Eruera, 2005).

Mentoring

Mentoring is an advisory role in which an experienced, highly regarded, collegial person guides another individual in the development and examination of their own ideas, learning, and personal and professional development. The relationship is dynamic, complex and reciprocal. It supports growth and bridges the gap between the educational process and the real world. The relationship identifies the talents the mentee already possesses and the nurturing and encouragement of these talents in order to fully develop them (Barker, 2006; College of Health Disciplines, 2005; College of Nurses Aotearoa, 2007).

Mentor

An appropriately qualified and experienced person, who facilitates learning, supervises and assesses trainees continually so that the trainee achieves their outcomes at the end of the programme. Mentors motivate and encourage trainees to continue their education (HW, 2006).

A mentor may also be someone trained in providing clinical (professional) supervision.

Cultural development

• Cultural resources
• Membership to Māori or Pacific Health Professional Organisations
• Cultural activities including Kuia/Kaumātua, and peer support

Once applications are processed considering eligibility criteria above, the following prioritisation occurs:

• Identify areas by headcount relative to applications and decide how many applicants per area are funded by CTN codes.
• Service DON and line managers rank applications from 1 (most supported) to 10 (less supported) based on headcount calculation above, using prioritisation order:

1. PDRP participation at correct level as per criteria for application
2. Paper choice relevant to clinical practice
3. Maori and Pacific Nurses
4. Senior nurses
5. NETP graduates (if not funded in previous year)

PDRP is fundamental to the commitment CCDHB has to Nursing and Midwifery workforce development as it supports nurses to articulate their practice which is key to identifying nurses’ unique contribution as part of the healthcare team. In 2018 and 2019 after several years of working with the Primary/ARC sector, the DHB aligned the requirement for PDRP participation. This was regionally agreed but is variably implemented across the DHBs. Although all HHS applicants are required to be progressing or maintaining PDRP at the appropriate level (including having a current (not older than 1 year) Performance Review and PDCP and discussion with manager to ensure the choice of postgraduate papers is appropriate to scope, level of practice, and role), Primary/ARC will be accepted without a current PDRP with the expectation they will achieve applicable level within the year of study.