Greater Subject Choices for Country Schools

Regional high school students will have access to a wider range of subjects thanks to the creation of new specialist teaching jobs in the bush.  

The NSW Government’s Specialist Teachers in the Field program will open a world of possibilities for country school kids.

Small rural schools often find it hard to deliver specialist subjects, which means students could miss out on studying something they might like to pursue as a future career.

This program will ensure regional high school students have access to the same wide range of subject choices available at city schools.

The first stage of the program will see 10 specialist teachers to support 30 regional schools across NSW from Term 1, 2023. Work is already underway to identify participating schools and their students’ subject needs.

It means that a secondary teacher who specialises in Visual Arts, for example, will teach that subject across three different public schools in an area.

This isn’t just great for students – it’s also an exciting opportunity for teachers who can benefit from travelling and teaching across multiple schools, networking and sharing practice with other teachers.

The specialist teacher will be given a reduced teaching load to support their travel and work across schools.

The Teachers in the Field program also includes Classroom Cover Teachers, which is continuing to expand to provide a pool of relief teachers across regional, rural and remote schools. This program offers teachers a three year, full-time role as a relief teacher with the benefits of job security, professional learning and leave entitlements. 

The NSW Government’s $125 million Teacher Supply Strategy is creating new pathways into teaching, placing high-quality teachers where they are needed most, and ensuring a steady pipeline of teachers entering the workforce, now and in the future.  

PHARMACY REFORM TO EXPAND COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE

The NSW Government will ease the pressure on patients who find it difficult to get an appointment with a GP, by making it easier to access more medications through a local pharmacy.

The reform will expand the number of vaccinations pharmacists can administer, trial pharmacists prescribing medication for urinary tract infections and also develop a pilot for trained pharmacists to prescribe medications for a range of other conditions.

These ground-breaking reforms aim to relieve pressure on emergency departments and wait times to see a GP by giving our community more access to primary care services.

Today’s announcement is yet another innovative way in which the NSW Liberals and Nationals in Government are delivering reforms to combat the pressures currently facing health systems across the nation.

The NSW Government will increase the community’s access to primary care through:

  • Authorising pharmacists to administer a wider range of public health and travel vaccinations from 14 November 2022, including Japanese Encephalitis, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, Poliomyelitis, Typhoid and Zoster.
  • Funding a 12-month trial to evaluate allowing pharmacists to prescribe medication for urinary tract infections; and
  • Supporting a state wide pilot where appropriately trained pharmacists can prescribe medications for certain conditions, such as skin ailments, ear infections, and hormonal contraception.

The COVID-19 pandemic provided a prime example of just how vital of a role local pharmacists play in keeping the community safe and well.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic many of us opted to visit our local and trusted pharmacist to receive a vaccine.

Following the implementation of today’s announcement, the community will be able to visit an appropriately trained pharmacist to get a script for things like a urinary tract infection or birth control, easing the burden on our local GPs and reducing wait times for others that require more specialised care.

NSW Health will work with pharmacists to support the expansion of the vaccination program with education modules and materials for both themselves and their customers.

NSW pharmacists are currently able to administer six vaccines, including COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. An expression of interest process for participation in the urinary tract infection trial will commence on 14 November 2022.

Regional high school students will have access to a wider range of subjects thanks to the creation of new specialist teaching jobs in the bush.  

The NSW Government’s Specialist Teachers in the Field program will open a world of possibilities for country school kids.

Small rural schools often find it hard to deliver specialist subjects, which means students could miss out on studying something they might like to pursue as a future career.

This program will ensure regional high school students have access to the same wide range of subject choices available at city schools.

The first stage of the program will see 10 specialist teachers to support 30 regional schools across NSW from Term 1, 2023. Work is already underway to identify participating schools and their students’ subject needs.

It means that a secondary teacher who specialises in Visual Arts, for example, will teach that subject across three different public schools in an area.

This isn’t just great for students – it’s also an exciting opportunity for teachers who can benefit from travelling and teaching across multiple schools, networking and sharing practice with other teachers.

The specialist teacher will be given a reduced teaching load to support their travel and work across schools.

The Teachers in the Field program also includes Classroom Cover Teachers, which is continuing to expand to provide a pool of relief teachers across regional, rural and remote schools. This program offers teachers a three year, full-time role as a relief teacher with the benefits of job security, professional learning and leave entitlements. 

The NSW Government’s $125 million Teacher Supply Strategy is creating new pathways into teaching, placing high-quality teachers where they are needed most, and ensuring a steady pipeline of teachers entering the workforce, now and in the future.  

PHARMACY REFORM TO EXPAND COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE

The NSW Government will ease the pressure on patients who find it difficult to get an appointment with a GP, by making it easier to access more medications through a local pharmacy.

The reform will expand the number of vaccinations pharmacists can administer, trial pharmacists prescribing medication for urinary tract infections and also develop a pilot for trained pharmacists to prescribe medications for a range of other conditions.

These ground-breaking reforms aim to relieve pressure on emergency departments and wait times to see a GP by giving our community more access to primary care services.

Today’s announcement is yet another innovative way in which the NSW Liberals and Nationals in Government are delivering reforms to combat the pressures currently facing health systems across the nation.

The NSW Government will increase the community’s access to primary care through:

  • Authorising pharmacists to administer a wider range of public health and travel vaccinations from 14 November 2022, including Japanese Encephalitis, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, Poliomyelitis, Typhoid and Zoster.
  • Funding a 12-month trial to evaluate allowing pharmacists to prescribe medication for urinary tract infections; and
  • Supporting a state wide pilot where appropriately trained pharmacists can prescribe medications for certain conditions, such as skin ailments, ear infections, and hormonal contraception.

The COVID-19 pandemic provided a prime example of just how vital of a role local pharmacists play in keeping the community safe and well.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic many of us opted to visit our local and trusted pharmacist to receive a vaccine.

Following the implementation of today’s announcement, the community will be able to visit an appropriately trained pharmacist to get a script for things like a urinary tract infection or birth control, easing the burden on our local GPs and reducing wait times for others that require more specialised care.

NSW Health will work with pharmacists to support the expansion of the vaccination program with education modules and materials for both themselves and their customers.

NSW pharmacists are currently able to administer six vaccines, including COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. An expression of interest process for participation in the urinary tract infection trial will commence on 14 November 2022.

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