The following information is for applicants of the Sydney Scholarship Program.

Scholarships are offered by Sydney Local Health District as part of a partnership between Sydney Education (the District’s Education Service) and the University of Tasmania (UTAS).

Applicants should review this information as well as the qualification details provided on the UTAS website.

Any questions about this program should be directed to Lesley Innes, Director, Sydney Education on lesley.innes@health.nsw.gov.au

Timeline

Scholarship applications now open
Scholarship applications close: Friday 29 November 2024

Scholarship recipients will be informed by Friday 14 December 2024 and must have completed their University of Tasmania application process by Thursday 30 January 2025

Qualifications offered

The following qualifications are being offered as part of the Sydney Scholarship Program:

• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Applied Safety and Quality)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Communicable Disease Prevention)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Community and Urgent Care)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Critical Care and Retrieval)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Dementia)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Digital Health)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Governance)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Health Economics)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Healthcare Education)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Health Service Improvement)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Medication Safety)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Organisational Performance)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Organisational Resilience)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Strategic Communication)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Supply Chain Logistics)
• Graduate Diploma of Advanced Practice (Workplace Psychology)

Scholarships are not transferrable to other qualifications offered by UTAS or any other education provider.

Conversion to Masters Level Qualification 

All of the Advanced Practice qualifications can be converted to a Masters Level qualification with the completion of some additional units. There are two ways of achieving this:

As part of the scholarship

If you already hold a post graduate qualification (graduate certificate and above) in a health-related qualification you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning which credits you for the first four units that are part of the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Practice.

You could then use the eight units that are part of your scholarship to complete a Master of Advanced Practice (specialisation).

Separate to the scholarship

Once you have completed your Graduate Diploma qualification you could choose to complete an additional three units (worth 50 credit points). This would be undertaken at your own cost.

Scholarship term

Scholarship recipients are funded to complete a maximum of eight units over a three year period.

If you complete eight subjects (or 100 credit points) during this three-year period, then your scholarship will cover you for a Graduate Diploma level qualification or a Masters Level qualification if you have received recognition of prior learning for a previously completed post graduate qualificaiton in a health related field.

If you complete four units then you may exit the scholarship with a Graduate Certificate.

Personal contribution

Students are responsible for paying their own Student Contribution.

All scholarship recipients are expected to make a personal contribution towards the cost of their qualification by paying the Student Services and Amenities Fee.

This is approximately $200 per annum for the two-year scholarship period.

Scholarship recipients are also expected to meet the cost of any study resources required for the program, for example the purchase of any textbooks.

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a Sydney Local Health District Scholarship you need to fulfil the eligibility requirements for both Sydney Local Health District and the University of Tasmania.

Sydney Local Health District Eligibility

You must be:

1. An Australian resident or citizen
2. A permanent employee of the Sydney Local Health District

The University of Tasmania Eligibility

The University of Tasmania eligibility requirements for qualifications offered through the Sydney Scholarship Program are detailed on the UTAS website.

Application process

Sydney Local Health District Application Process

1. Complete Sydney Scholarship Program Application Form
2. Line manager to complete Sydney Scholarship Program Referee Report
3. Send your Application Form and Referee Report to the Facility/District Executive for endorsement
4. The following completed documents should then be sent to lesley.innes@health.nsw.gov.au
   
   • Scholarship Application Form
   • Scholarship Program Referee Report
   • Curriculum Vitae

The University of Tasmania Application Process

If you have been successful in your scholarship application, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to register with UTAS to complete the qualification. This must be completed by Tuesday 31 December 2024. 

You will need to supply the following documents so please ensure that these are easily accessible:

• Australian Passport or Certificate of Citizenship or Australian Birth Certificate
• Transcripts and testamurs for all academic qualifications
• Curriculum Vitae

Study Leave Requirements

Study leave for tertiary education is detailed in section 6.2.2 of the Leave Matters for the NSW Health Service policy PD 2023_045.

Distance or Online Education

The equivalent amount of leave available if the course was delivered on a face-to-face basis may be granted to employees completing accredited courses via alternative delivery options, such as correspondence or online. The amount of leave granted, particularly in circumstances where equivalence to face-to-face courses cannot be confirmed, is at the discretion of the organisation, up to a maximum of four hours per week per semester or term. Distance (including online) Education courses are to be recorded in rostering and payroll systems as “Tertiary Study Leave”.

Approval of study leave is at the discretion of your manager and should be discussed as part of this application process.

Workplace Projects

As part of the return on investment for the District, all scholarship recipients are expected to undertake a workplace project over the duration of their scholarship that benefits the District. More information will be provided to recipients once they have been enrolled in their qualification.

Academic Performance

All scholarship recipients are required to pay the costs in full of any units failed during the scholarship period.

Employment Status with Sydney Local Health District

This scholarship is only available while the recipient is an employee of Sydney Local Health District. If a recipient leaves the District during the three-year scholarship program, then the scholarship ceases. This scholarship is not transferrable if you move to another Local Health District. 

It is expected that scholarship recipients will continue their employment with Sydney Local Health District for at least one year following the completion of their scholarship. If not, participants may be required to contribute towards the cost of the qualification.