The Nursing and Midwifery Office NSW Department of Health is offering scholarships of up to $15,000 to encourage participation by nurses and midwives in leading innovation within the public health system.
The aim is for patients to have a better experience by ensuring services are of a high quality, appropriate, safe, available when and where needed and coordinated to meet individual needs.
Who is eligible to apply for an Innovations Scholarship?
The scholarships are open to nurses and midwives working in the NSW Public Health system.
What is an innovative project?
An innovative approach is one that has not been tried before; or a new approach to an existing problem or issue.
The project should focus on patient centred care where patient safety is enhanced; the patient has a better experience and is informed and involved in decisions.
Your application should demonstrate how the innovation will enhance nursing or midwifery practice to improve service delivery and patient care.
Programs that will assist in identifying areas or priority include:
- Caring Together - The Health Action Plan for NSW
- A New Direction for NSW Department of Health - Strategic Plan Towards 2010
- Essentials of Care Program
- Mental Health Nursing including Drug and Alcohol Services
If you have not been involved in preparing a submission for an innovations scholarship before, you are encouraged to seek assistance from other nurses in your Area Health Service who have experience in preparing submissions.
Scholarship Conditions
- Applicant teams must primarily be nurses or midwives employed by the NSW public health system.
- At least 80% of the team must be employees of the NSW public health system.
- Funding will not be provided for services that are considered to be core business of the Area Health Service.
- A word limit of 2000 words or less.
- Applicants may be either individuals or team members.
- The lead person must be a nurse or midwife who is a full-time or permanent part-time employee of the NSW Public Health System.
- Funding cannot be used for tertiary education or other courses.
- Generally, up to 10% of the funding requested can be allocated to equipment.
- A letter of support for the project is required from the Director of Nursing and Midwifery or Health Service Manager.
- The team leader is responsible for dissemination of the outcomes of the project to other AHS's.
- Submissions previously funded by a NSW Department of Health Nursing and Midwifery scholarship fund will not be eligible.
- The innovation is to be carried out within 12-months of receiving the funding.
- Successful applicants will be required to provide progress summary 6-months after project commencement.
- The Nursing and Midwifery Office may publish the innovation on the Department of Health's website and in newsletters.
Planning your Project
Developing a project plan is the beginning of any project. Take time in the early stage to define exactly what you want to do and how to do it.
Five Steps in planning your project
Step 1 - Why?
What do you want this project to do?
What is your aim?
The aim should be an overall statement of what you want the project to do.
Tips
- Be specific; one aim is best. It will help focus your ideas
- Identify the improvements
- Will new ways of doing things continue after the project?
- Can it be used across the health system?
Step 2 - What?
Ask yourself what are the project's objectives and expected outcome? An objective is specific and should have measurable outcomes and time lines. It will define exactly what it is you want to achieve and what change the project will make.
- Decide what can be achieved and set your objectives.
- Identify the results or outcomes you expect.
- Identify the resources you need.
- Include the process for evaluation in your plan. This way you can gather information as you go along rather than waiting until the end.
- Meet on a regular basis with team members as new issues may arise.
Step 3 - How?
Establish the outline of the project.
- Think about the different parts of the project and how they will take shape
- From this you can develop a detailed work plan.
- Identify the resources you will need e.g. money, people, materials etc.
- Decide how you will identify and measure the outcomes.
Step 4 - Who?
Think about who should be involved in the project.
- Decide who will manage the project and how it will be managed
- Ensure that your AHS will support the project.
- You may like to find a mentor who you can bounce ideas off.
- If you want to employ a project officer allow time for recruitment.
- Make sure people involved in the project are committed.
- To ensure that people are supportive and committed to the project involve them in the planning stage.
Step 5 - When?
Make decisions about the time frame for the project. Once you have decided what the activities are you can prepare a timetable for them. Chart the activities on a timeline.
Identify important dates on the calendar. These will include:
- Significant activities
- Important dates e.g. progress report and deadlines.
- Set aside enough time for each activity
- Plan time to review the progress
- If the project can be used throughout the health system plan time to distribute to other AHS and develop a communication plan.
Develop a project plan
Remember:
- Be specific and keep it simple
- Work in a team
- Allocate tasks
- Gain support from your Director of Nursing and Midwifery or Health Services Manager for your application.
- Be clear about your intention
- The project may have many parts, ask yourself what is the overall aim?
- What is the specific thing/s that you want to achieve? What will be the results of the project's activities? What will change? Who will benefit?
- Consider how you will go about achieving what it is that you want to do.
- How will you know that you have done what you set out to do?
- You must be able to identify the result or outcome of the project.
Open and Close Dates
Open: 2nd July 2010
Closes: 27th September 2010
Application Form
Please send your completed application form to:
NSW Department of Health
Nursing and Midwifery Office
Scholarship Officer
Locked Mail Bag 961
North Sydney NSW 2059
Please send your application by Express Post. In order to track your envelop, Please refer to the Australia Post website:
http://www.auspost.com.au/track/
Please note: The Nursing & Midwifery Office cannot accept telephone calls or emails from applicants to confirm receipt of applications.
Successful applicants will be notified approximately 4-6 weeks after the close date.
