Tertiary education and research in Australia is a competitive enterprise and the professions of nursing and midwifery continue to be subject to dynamic and health care environments that challenge established practice. This 2008- 2010 strategic plan positions RMIT at the forefront of a visionary and planned response to tertiary nursing and midwifery education, research and healthcare service provision nationally and in the Asia- Pacific Rim.

The major goal is to promote robust programs of nursing education and research that inform and address critical health issues and problems in the region now and in the future. To achieve this we have positioned ourselves as responsive to societal needs, with a firm foundation of industry partnership and alliance with RMIT’s corporate and the School of Health Sciences, strategic plans. Implicit in our approach is the creation of a vibrant and diverse working and learning environment.

Socio - political context

According to the Australian Federal Government’s Second Intergenerational Report (IGR2) 2007, Australia faces a number of substantial challenges over the next 40 years. Of particular relevance to this plan are the projections in IGR2, which show that:

The population will continue to increase in size but with a higher proportion of older people.
Economic growth per person will slow as the proportion of the population of traditional working age falls.
Substantial fiscal pressures will emerge due to projected increases in spending in the areas of health, age pensions and aged care.

In line with these projections, health expenditure is predicted to rise significantly over the next forty years, with hospitals and health services, and pharmaceutical products likely to experience the greatest increases in expenditure relative to ‘other’ health areas. These projections have significant and far reaching implications for future health and social care policies, and for nursing education. There is a need to both anticipate and inform future policy and program initiatives for ensuring the provision, relevance, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability of future public health and health service programs.

The disparity in access to, affordability of, and acceptability of, health care will continue. In tandem there will continue to be a chronic nursing and midwifery shortage in rural and metropolitan Victoria, as well as Australian wide

RMIT Nursing and Midwifery is committed to be at the forefront of these changes as we position ourselves for consolidation and realisation of our strategic plan. RMIT Nursing and Midwifery will meet these challenges within an environment that respects the individual, fosters diversity, promotes community, cultivates life-long learning, and makes excellence an imperative. This strategic action encompasses undergraduate and postgraduate education, research and development, clinical practice and international liaisons organised around a principle of inclusiveness.

Programs and Courses in Nursing and Midwifery

RMIT's Nursing and Midwifery offers a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Nursing and Midwifery programs and courses available in Melbourne and rural and regional Victoria include: