IAHA has key partnerships with stakeholders to support remote and rural clinical placements and extend students’ and graduates’ learning experiences to explore career pathways and opportunities in remote and rural Australia.

Financial support for students and graduates remains a vital strategy to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, across all life stages, experiences and journeys, to study and succeed in allied health.

Royal Flying Doctors Service logo & Flinders University Rural & Remote Health NT logo

Eligibility

To be eligible for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Scholarships, applicants must:

address all application requirements as set out in the Application Process below
be a current IAHA full member (students, graduates and assistant workforce
be in their final two years of their tertiary allied health course
intend to undertake a remote or rural clinical placement in an ASGC RA classified area 3- 5
or Modified Monash Model classified area 3-7 of at least four weeks or more in duration
be 18 years of age or over when applying for the scholarship

If there are more applicants than available scholarships, not all applicants who meet the eligibility and selection criteria will be offered a scholarship from this round.

Additional Guidelines are available for download here.

For further information on any of the following placement and/or scholarship opportunities, please reach out to the IAHA Membership Team at membership@iaha.com.au or on (02) 6285 1010.

Placements Now Available

IAHA and the Royal Flying Doctors Service Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Scholarship

As a commitment under the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) National Reconciliation Action Plan 2018-2021, and in an effort to grow an appropriate and skilled rural health workforce, the RFDS will provide financial support through scholarships to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health students to undertake a clinical placement in a remote and rural Australia. Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) will organise and implement the scholarship process for Indigenous allied health students who are current IAHA Full Members (students and assistant workforce) and provide support and mentoring for the remote or rural clinical placements scholarship recipients.

In 2020, an IAHA RFDS Scholarship was awarded to an IAHA student member studying their final year of a Bachelor of Exercise Physiology. The rural clinical placement was the first of their degree, providing an opportunity to experience rural clinical practice in Mount Isa ahead of pursuing work in remote and rural communities in their career.

“I love challenges and experiencing new environments; however, working as an exercise physiologist in a rural community forced me to really think outside of the box…Having to work together (in a rural setting) allowed me to develop my client-centred care into a more holistic approach and broaden my lens outside of exercise alone. This delved into their nutrition, home environment, (and) the client’s social support. This allowed me to really understand my client, build rapport and increase my clinical skills as a health professional”.

2020 Royal Flying Doctors Service Scholarship recipient reflection

Applications Now Open

View Application

IAHA and Flinders University KRISPP placement program

IAHA is supporting the Katherine Region Interprofessional Student Placement Program (KRISPP), to increase Allied Health student placements in the region.

There are two different placement opportunities available for Speech Pathology (SP) and Occupational Therapy (OT) final year domestic students.

These placements offer unique opportunities for interdisciplinary work with Indigenous people in a remote setting.

The student programs provide much-needed services and are highly valued by stakeholders. Past students rave about their time here and many have gone on to seek similar employment after they graduate.

Download flyer for more information

Carnarvon Allied Health Aged Care Placements

The WA Centre for Rural Health (WACRH) offers students and universities the opportunity for final year clinical placements focused on aged care in remote and rural settings. Placements are based on Yinggarda Country in Carnarvon in the Gascoyne region of WA.

Students will complete their placement across aged care settings in the Carnarvon community and work with other allied health and nursing students.

Timetables and placement dates can be adjusted to meet university commitments.

Students will stay in comfortable and secure accommodation and will have access to shared vehicles for work and limited recreation use.

Accommodation and travel scholarships are available to eligible students.

Students will be supervised by a clinician in their own profession and be supported by our WACRH Interprofessional Allied Health academic staff.