Scholarships
Department of Health, Victoria: Rural Emergency Nursing Scholarships
Introduction
Details of the 2027 round of rural nursing scholarships will be announced in the second quarter of 2026. Watch the website for details. This will include the selected region(s) for 2027.
In 2025 (for the 2026 round) the Albert Coates Memorial Trust, in association with the Australian Legion of Ex-Service Men and Women is funding scholarships for Division 1 Registered Nurses working in public health services or bush nursing services in the Loddon Mallee region, Victoria.
The recipients of the 2026 round of scholarships are listed below. Applicants will be shortlisted for interviews to be held in October. Recipients of scholarships will be notified after the interviews.
Scholarship Information
Amount
The Trust is offering scholarships to cover or assist with course fees for up to 12 months, varying in value from $3,000 to $10,000.
Applications
Online applications can be made using an application form which is made available on the Albert Coates Memorial Trust website during the application process, normally from July through to the end of September. The precise dates for the 2027 round will be published on this website.
Eligibility
The scholarships are available for registered nurses in the Loddon Mallee region who intend to undertake courses commencing in 2027 in one of the following categories:
- A rural and isolated practice course (RIPRN). This course allows the RN to apply for endorsement for scheduled medicines (rural and isolated practice) as described by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
- Nurse Practitioner. An approved program of study to become a nurse practitioner in the rural environment.
- Post-graduate studies in emergency OR critical care.
Applicants must:
- be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and
- hold a nursing degree or equivalent qualification, and
- have current registration with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA), and
- hold current employment with any Victorian public health service in the Loddon Mallee region.
Applicants must be supported by their employing Loddon Mallee region health service.
Preference would be given to applicants who are descendants or relatives of ex-servicemen/women however, the Trust is flexible with this criterion to ensure the recruitment of quality applicants.
Application criteria
Before applying for the scholarships, applicants should seek endorsement from their sponsoring health service. Scholarships are only provided for study undertaken in 2026.
Each applicant and their sponsoring health service should complete the online Sir Albert Coates 2027 Rural Nursing Scholarships Application Form (attached) and submit the online application by the due date. Applicants are also required to upload with the application a copy of their Curriculum Vitae and any supporting evidence of their relationship to current or ex-servicemen/women.
Applications are required to be submitted online from the Coates Trust website. Please contact the Hon. Secretary with any questions or concerns about the online application process.
Short-listed applicants will be asked to participate in an online interview which will take place in October/November 2026. All decisions of the sub-committee are final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
Once approved, scholarship recipients will need to provide evidence of their offer of a place in their selected course, after which the funds for course fees will be transferred to the employing health service.
Scholarship Terms and Conditions
Once approved, scholarship recipients will need to provide evidence of their offer of a place in their selected course, after which the funds for the course will be transferred to the applicant VIA the sponsoring health service.
Scholarship recipients will be expected to provide written reports to their sponsoring health service and to the Coates Trust, including upon completing your course.
The Trust encourages scholarship recipients to promote the work of the Trust whenever it is appropriate to do so. Recipients of the scholarships may be required to give a presentation about their experiences at a Trust occasion.
For further information contact:
Hon. Secretary, Albert Coates Memorial Trust
Email:
A contact in the health department region selected for the next round will be included on this website following the launch of the 2027 round.
Previous Awardees for Rural Emergency Nursing, including Nurse Practitioner, RIPERN and Critical Care courses
-
2026
- Sandra Sierra Flores
- Libby Gore
- Joanne Kane
- Madeleine Wright
-
2025
- Karen Stewart
-
2024
- Asha James
-
2023
- Gurjit Kaur Sangha
- William Wallace
- Stephanie Vick
-
2022
No Scholarship applications received.
-
2021
- Jeenmariam Lal
-
2020
- Bambi Reichman
- Melissa Gardner
- Elise Wright
-
2019
- Deborah Bennett
- Elizabeth Lawrence
- Kerryn Osborne
-
2018
- Jessica Noordewier
-
2017
- Amy Aeschlimann
- Vanessa Jenkins
-
2016
- Alison Noble
- Kellie Woodhouse
- Michelle Holland
- Ken Holland
- Nicole Magnisalis
- Susan White
- Lynne Coates
- Emma-Jane Lush
-
2015
- Bissy Ajithkumar
- Katherine Pitcher
- Sharon Bartlett
- Rebecca Kay
-
2014
- Judith Thomson
- Trish Heinrich
- Kate Pitcher
- Ros Thomas
-
2013
- Ruth Clifton
-
2012
- Margaret 'Jade' Beechey
- Susan Hollingworth
- Rachel Taylor
-
2011
- Debra Daniels
- Justine Rea
- Martin Starick
-
2009
- Elizabeth Newton
- Tricia Kinsey
-
2008
- Breanna Barber
- Carmen Grenfell
- Deborah Clancy