The ACN Foundation, in partnership with The Belinda McGowan Foundation, is delighted to offer three scholarships supporting registered nurses who live and work in rural and remote areas of Australia.
The partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the rural and remote nursing workforce and improving access to compassionate, high-quality health care. Inspired by his late wife Belinda’s experience with cancer, Bruce McGowan established The Belinda McGowan Foundation to improve access to compassionate care in rural and regional communities.
Through this scholarship program, nurses will have the opportunity to strengthen their specialist palliative or critical care knowledge or develop the leadership capabilities needed to create positive and lasting change within their workplaces and communities.
Applications close 11:59 pm AEDT, Sunday 25 October 2026.
Scholarships available
Three scholarships for the following certificates and programs are available:
Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care
- Available: 1
- Scholarship value: $16,500
Course overview
The Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care is designed for registered nurses working in an appropriate clinical setting who want to extend their palliative care capabilities and become future experts in the specialty.
The course prepares registered nurses for advanced practice by developing their capabilities in:
- The assessment and management of people receiving palliative care
- Critical decision-making and evidence-based practice
- Advanced therapeutic communication
- Ethical and culturally responsive end-of-life care
- Multidisciplinary collaboration
- Clinical leadership, education and mentorship.
Students undertake the following areas of study:
- Advancing Professional Practice
- Principles of Palliative Care Nursing
- Assessing and Managing Adult Pain or Wound Management
- Advanced Concepts in Palliative Care Nursing.
Nurse Director Leadership Program
- Available: 2
- Program funding: $5,500 per scholarship
- Travel and accommodation assistance: Up to $2,000 per recipient
- Total value: Up to $7,500 per scholarship
- Combined value of the two scholarships: Up to $15,000
Program overview
The Nurse Director Leadership Program is a dynamic six-month program designed to empower experienced registered nurses to lead change in health and aged-care environments.
Participants receive support and guidance from experienced nurse leaders through personal development, mentoring and action learning sets. The program combines a four-day, face-to-face interactive workshop with six months of mentoring and action learning.
The program covers:
- Nursing leadership and strategy
- Developing and leading high-performing teams
- Managing quality-improvement activities
- Clinical governance
- Human resource management and communication
- Health economics and financial management
- Innovation, workplace redesign and organisational change
- Self-awareness and resilience in nursing leadership
On completion, participants will be better equipped to lead workplace cultures through innovation, redesign and change, apply management principles within their workplaces and develop high-performing teams with cultures of success and achievement.
The currently advertised face-to-face workshop will be held from 17–20 May 2027 in Melbourne. Successful applicants must be available to attend the complete workshop and participate in the subsequent mentoring and action-learning components.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants should meet the following criteria:
- Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident in Australia.
- Hold a current registration as a Registered Nurse with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
- Live and work in a rural or remote area of Australia.
- Meet the entry requirements and commit to completing their selected program.
Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care
- Have at least one year of postgraduate nursing experience and be currently employed in an appropriate palliative care setting.
- Be able to undertake approximately 12–15 hours of online study each week for one year.
Nurse Director Leadership Program
- Have more than six years of professional nursing experience, including experience in a health or aged-care leadership role.
- Be available to attend the complete four-day face-to-face workshop and participate in six months of mentoring and action learning.
Documents required
- Proof of Australian citizenship or permanent resident of Australia (birth certificate, passport, VEVO or visa papers).
- Current CV.
- Current AHPRA nurse registration.
- Identification such as drivers license or passport.
- A letter of support from your supervisor outlining their ability to complete the program within the required timeframe.
- Name change evidence (if name appears different on documents).
Selection criteria
- The capacity to provide and enhance evidence-based, person -centric care specifically in Palliative Care (when applying for this) and Nurse Director Leadership Program (when applying for this).
- Proven track record of proactive, self-directed professional development and engagement within these specific clinical specialties.
- Strong aptitude for clinical leadership and a clear commitment to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and best practice among nursing peers.
- Clear ability to design, organise, and deliver structured, effective in-service training to facilitate ongoing staff learning.
- Capacity to effectively translate advanced academic knowledge into practical, everyday nursing practice to improve patient outcomes.
Selection questions
- How will completing this Graduate Certificate enhance your ability to provide specialised care for people requiring Palliative Care (when applying for this)?
- How do you plan to organise in-service training for your colleagues and demonstrate leadership in facilitating their learning and practice?
- Can you provide examples of your commitment to professional development in nursing, particularly in areas related to Palliative Care (when applying for this) and Nurse Director Leadership Program (when applying for this)?
Successful recipient requirements
Each successful recipient will be required to:
- Undertake and complete the approved course or leadership program.
- Meet all attendance, participation and assessment requirements associated with the selected program.
- Provide a written report to the ACN Foundation at the conclusion of your certificate or program outlining how the scholarship has impacted on your professional development and how the program benefited your workplace or community.
Applications
Applications close 11:59 pm AEDT, Sunday 25 October 2026.
