Increasing the pool of students in rural locations : a satellite model of nurse education

In response to professional nurse shortages in rural areas of Australia, initiatives have been introduced including the development of new university preregistration programs in various states. It is hoped that nursing students who experience the rural environmentchoose to remain in these locations after graduation. In 2008, one Australian university, in conjunction with a rural health service, introduced a model of education designed to open access to nursing courses for students at a satellite location. This program ran for 2 years. Under this model, most students were located at the main campus with a small cohort situated at the rural health service, a distance of approximately 60 km from the main campus, for their first academic year. This health service includes a small acute care hospital with an aged care inpatient unit. Funded by a governmentseeding grant, this project offered an opportunity for students to study as part of a unique cohort with readily accessible on-site clinical experiences. Students located at the satellite centre enrolled in the same units of study and were required to meet identical assessment requirements. While a local coordinator facilitated most classes, core lectures were also provided by video link and visiting lecturers, with students transported to themain campuses fortnightly to facilitate a broader universityexperience.