Going North Rural

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OT students balancing fun and learning on placement in Atherton!
Are You Interested in Going on Placement in North Queensland?

Going Rural North offers nursing, midwifery, allied health, and dentistry students a rural placement bursary to assist with travel and accommodation expenses.

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Who Can Apply for Going Rural North?

If you're a Queensland nursing, midwifery, allied health, or dentistry student seeking financial support for remote or rural placements in North Queensland and meet the eligibility criteria, you’re heading in the right direction. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are encouraged to apply.

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Going Rural North Eligibility Criteria

Going Rural North applicants must be:

• Currently enrolled as an undergraduate or postgraduate student in a nursing, midwifery, allied health, or dentistry discipline at a Queensland university. (Proof of placement confirmation must be submitted with each application).

• An Australian citizen or have permanent residency (proof of citizenship or permanent residency must be submitted with each application).

Going Rural North supports:

• University-approved remote and rural placements within the North Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) region. Click this link to check for your placement location.

• Placements in private practice (non-Queensland Health) settings including:

• Aboriginal Medical Services

• Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services

• Non-government services

• Not-for-profit organisations

• Community settings (e.g. education facilities)

• Combined placements in both a private practice setting and Queensland Health facility/service. Please note: Placements solely based within a Queensland Health facility/service are not eligible.

• Hospital and Health Service (HHS) placements will be considered where they are the solo primary care provider on a case-by-case basis.

Going Rural North Guidelines

​Costs covered by the Going Rural North Bursary:

• Placement accommodation

• Travel to and from the placement location (flights, bus, train or self-drive mileage)

• Uber or taxi travel to and from the primary departure point (airport, train or bus station)​

Costs not covered by the Going Rural North Bursary:

• Travel once on placement

• Hire car

• Personal vehicle maintenance

• Food

• Rent for your permanent residence

• ​Going Rural North bursaries will cover travel and accommodation costs and are capped at $200 per placement week. For example, a four-week placement would allow you to claim travel and accommodation costs up to $800. Placement travel, before or post, placement dates is covered by the Going Rural North bursary.

• Where travel and accommodation costs exceed the financial support provided by a university for the same student placement, Going Rural North will make up the shortfall (capped at $200 per week).

• As the intent of Going Rural North is to support the travel and accommodation costs associated with health student’s clinical rural placements, Health Workforce Queensland reserves the right to decline applications from students who wish to go on placement locally.

• The minimum placement Going Rural North supports is two (2) weeks.

• The maximum placement Going Rural North supports is ten (10) weeks.

• Going Rural North does not organise or manage placements.

• Applications for Going Rural North must be submitted at least 10 business days before commencing your placement.

• Retrospective placements (placements already in progress or completed) are not eligible for funding.

• Students must provide adequate documentation to support their reimbursements; this includes tax receipts and proof of payment within 14 days of completing their placement. Reimbursement requests not received within four weeks of placement completion will not be eligible for payment.

• Going Rural North requests students to provide a written report or a short video on their placement experience within 14 days of completion.

• Applications will be considered until the funding allocation is exhausted.

Submit Your Application

To submit an application:

Create your profile in the Health Workforce Queensland portal (or log in if you already have one) by clicking on the Apply Now button.

Once you've filled in your personal information, go to the Applications/Registrations tab in the top menu bar.

Select Going Rural North to start your application.​

Apply Now!

​For further information please contact the Future Workforce Team on: Phone: (07) 3105 7813 or Send Us an Email

This program is supported by:

Student Placement Experiences

Read/view insights below from Going Rural North recipients who have recently completed placements:

• 4th year QUT Nutrition and Dietetics student: 10-week placement at Weipa Intergrated Health Service - Report

• Learn about Heidi Kruger's Weipa Placement Adventure .

• 4th year QUT Nutrition and Dietetics student: 5-week placement at Thursday Island. See Benjamin Thraemtana-McCausland's experience below.

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• ​3rd year JCU Occupational Therapy student: Townsville Placement. Hear about Lucy Busby's experience below.

• ​Read about Erin Weekes journey from Occupational Therapy Student to New Graduate, including a nine-week placement in Weipa with financial assistance from the Going Rural North bursary, in the article From Placement to Practice .

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