Fellowships

The Chief Nursing and Midwifery Office has a commitment to advancing Aboriginal health through research and practice improvement. The Aboriginal Health Fellowship is designed to assist innovative research or practice improvement projects to meet the needs of Aboriginal people.

This fellowship provides an opportunity for nurses and midwives to undertake, or complete nursing/midwifery research, or a practice improvement project.

You need to be able to demonstrate that you are:

• working towards a higher degree such as a masters or PhD in nursing/midwifery, relating to Aboriginal Health outcomes or undertaking a significant practice improvement that will have a positive outcome within Aboriginal Health.
• adhering to specific ethical guidelines in the Aboriginal Health Fellowship resource pack (available in resources below)
• seeking approval and support from the community you are researching, prior to applying. 

The aim of the fellowship is to:

• support culturally respectful projects that will foster cooperative and collaborative partnerships, innovation and needs-based research to advance Aboriginal health
• support innovative and evidence-based research projects that have the capacity to have positive impact on Aboriginal health outcomes
• promote cultural safety in healthcare research and practice in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health
• incorporate a high level of community consultation throughout the research project including analysis and intended use of results
• promote program development in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health reform that is evidence and needs-based.

The importance of partnerships is a core principle of Reconciliation Australia, leaders in fostering cultural recognition across industry and community in health reform not only for Aboriginal people, but for all Australians. If there is to be real change in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, there needs to be strong committed partnerships, meaningful relationships and a shared vision to Close the Gap.

Consultation was sought throughout the design of this fellowship through peak Aboriginal research and ethics bodies such as the Western Australian Aboriginal Health Ethics Committee.

Resources

• Research | The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) (external site)
• Western Australian Aboriginal Health Ethics Committee – AHCWA (external site)
• WA Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Framework 2015-2030
• Building and strengthening capacity of Indigenous health researchers | NHMRC (external site)

The Chief Nursing and Midwifery Office has a commitment to supporting midwifery best practice through research and practice improvement. The focus of the research or project improvement is to have direct application to midwifery practice relevant to WA.

This fellowship provides an opportunity for midwives to undertake or complete midwifery research or a practice improvement project.

You need to be able to demonstrate that you are:

• working towards a higher degree such as a masters or PhD in midwifery, or
• undertaking a significant project within your current workplace.

The Midwifery Fellowship was established in 2003 by the WA Department of Health to demonstrate recognition of the value and importance of midwives in Western Australia.

The Chief Nursing and Midwifery Office has a commitment to supporting nursing best practice through research and practice improvement. The focus of this research, or practice improvement, is to be directly applied to nursing practice, relevant to WA.

This fellowship provides an opportunity for nurses to undertake, or complete, nursing research or a practice improvement project.

You need to be able to demonstrate that you are:

• working towards a higher degree such as a masters or PhD in nursing, or
• undertaking a significant practice improvement within your current workplace.

The WA Department of Health established this scholarship (previously named the Helen Bailey Scholarship) in 1971, in honour and recognition of Miss Helen Bailey’s remarkable contribution to the advancement of nurse education in Western Australia.

The Chief Nursing and Midwifery Office has a commitment to health service innovation led by nurses and/or midwives. 

This fellowship aims to assist nurses and midwives undertaking research or practice improvement projects that demonstrate improved outcomes for patients, staff or organisation through innovation.  

To be eligible you must:

• be either undertaking a higher research degree such as masters or PhD, or a significant practice improvement project within your workplace
• have support from your hospital and/or health service provider
• be able to articulate the health service innovation your research or practice improvement project will achieve.

The Nursing and Midwifery Office has a commitment to building strong nursing and midwifery leaders within WA Health. The focus of this fellowship is to support leadership activities through educational programs or professional development opportunities. The recipient must demonstrate how this leadership opportunity will impact and benefit the culture of the health service from patient, staff to organisation.

This fellowship provides an opportunity for nurse/s and midwifery leaders to undertake leadership educational programs or professional development opportunities to enhance their leadership portfolio.

You need to be able to demonstrate:

• 2 years post registration nursing or midwifery experience
• supported by your health site to undertake a leadership educational program or professional development
• demonstrate and link the benefit to the health service from patient, staff to organisation.

In 2011, the WA Department of Health created this scholarship (previously named the Margaret J O Watson Award when the scholarship was available through the Nurses and Midwives Board of WA), in recognition of her outstanding work as a clinician and ambassador to the professions of nursing and midwifery.