04/05/2026
Hospitals in the south east are trialling a new way to boost the regional healthcare workforce through a hands-on traineeship for HSC students considering a career in medicine.
The Southern NSW Local Health District has introduced the two-year traineeship at hospitals in Bega, Bombala, Braidwood and Moruya.
16-year-old Olivia Marshman is one of the trainees based at South East Regional Hospital.
"I've been doing observations of the patients, so blood pressure and their oxygen saturation," she said.
"I either want to be a nurse or a doctor...I want to make a positive impact on people's lives."
The program requires students to attend the hospital one day a week, and do TAFE studies alongside their high school work.
At the end of the traineeship, they will earn a Certificate 3 in Nursing or Allied Health.
South East Regional Hospital Director of Nursing and Midwifery Sarah Little said there's been work experience opportunities for Year 10 students for some time, but they created the traineeship because of the increasing amount of teenagers wanting more practical experience in healthcare before graduating high school.
"It gives them a big of a snapshot of what we do and how we provide healthcare, and what it means to be a part of a healthcare system," she said.
"Hopefully, they'll go into university or further study and they'd like to stay within a regional and rural community and grow our workforce."
Further traineeships are planned for Queanbeyan and Goulburn.
