Australian Registered Training Organisations are being encouraged to apply for Government funding to train Enrolled Nurses in the residential aged care sector.
Training organisations that can provide medication management training are being recruited to boost the skills of Enrolled Nurses, as part of a $7.5 million aged care workforce initiative.
Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are being encouraged to apply for Government funding to train Enrolled Nurses in the residential aged care sector.
The Minister for Ageing, Senator Santo Santoro, said today the Howard Government was providing $7.5 million over four years to train Enrolled Nurses to manage and administer medication.
In calling for applications for funding under round four of the training program, Senator Santoro said that more than 3,150 Enrolled Nurses working in residential aged care had already been offered places in medication management training as a result of this initiative.
?The aged care workforce is an essential ingredient in the Government?s plan for a quality aged care sector and medication management is a vitally important part of aged care,? Senator Santoro said.
?Through this initiative, Enrolled Nurses can get the skills to manage and administer medications to aged care residents, allowing more highly qualified Registered Nurses to focus on managing the clinical care of these residents. Improving skills in this area will have benefits for residents, nurses and aged care providers.?
The funding is available to all Registered Training Organisations, including TAFEs, universities and private organisations that are authorised by their state or territory nursing regulatory authority to provide training in this area. Training organisations were required to demonstrate a partnership with aged care facilities to deliver the training package to nurses working in aged care.
Applications for funding under round four of the Enrolled Nurse Medication Training Initiative close on Monday, 16 April 2007.
Interested aged care providers should contact their approved local RTO as soon as possible and advise how many Enrolled Nurses required the training. Information about RTOs approved to deliver the training is available from the Aged Care Information Line (1800 500 853) or at www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/ageing-rescare-nursemedication.htm .