SYNERGY internships and scholarships
This page provides information on the current professional development programs and research grants led by SYNERGY.
SYNERGY Research Internship Program
This program supports the ongoing commitment and investment in continual professional development of all nurses and midwives to enhance skills and knowledge.
It provides successful candidates the opportunity to complete the Graduate Certificate in Health Research course part-time with a paid secondment for 12 months. Successful applicants are provided with mentorship and support from the SYNERGY Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre’s Clinical Chairs in midwifery, nursing, aged care and mental health nursing.
For more information read the guidelines.
Previous recipients
- Monika Tencic (Infection Control, Canberra Health Services) - Nurses’ perceptions of the impact of nurse-patient ratios on infection control practices.
- Charlotte Verity (Maternity, Canberra Health Services) - Nurses’ and midwives’ preparedness for strategic planning.
SYNERGY Innovation Scholarship
The SYNERGY Innovation Scholarship supports nurses and midwives to undertake practice or process improvement projects within their work areas. Applicants require support from their direct supervisor, Director of Nursing or Midwifery and an academic mentor.
For more information download the Innovation Scholarship guidelines.
Past scholarship recipients
2019-20
- Alison Aust - An evidence-based synthesis design to inform the development of a healing environment for space and practice in cancer care.
- Sarah Reeves - Improving patient and family wellbeing In Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease with an IBD nurse-led holistic clinic assessment tool.
- Josie Russell-Brown - Information literacy of Intensive Care nursing staff at Canberra Hospital.
- Delilah Shelley - Prospective study of febrile neutropenia patients post chemotherapy.
- Clare Stephenson - Supportive care needs of people with younger onset Parkinson's Disease.
2020-21
- Rachel Bilton-Simek - Opportunities for everyday clinicians to make a difference. Do everyday clinicians help patients understand and accept a palliative approach to their life limiting illnesses?
- Monica Scott - Creating a midwifery pathway for women that facilitates a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC).
2022-23
- Sophie Evans - Introducing a Learning Management System (LMS) to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nursing Education Program.
- Kelly Ford - Does the use of distal-extremity cryotherapy prevent Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in women affected by breast cancer: A feasibility study.
Jennifer James Memorial Scholarship for Research
The SYNERGY Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre, ACT Health in partnership with the University of Canberra offers the opportunity to apply for the Jennifer James Memorial Scholarship for Research to undertake a Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) program. One scholarship may be awarded annually.
The purpose of the Jennifer James Scholarship is to facilitate supervised research, service evaluation and quality assurance, enhance the professional development of nurses, and promote a culture of inquiry and practice informed by evidence. This initiative is available to Registered Nurses 1.1 to 1.8 and provides successful candidates the opportunity to complete the Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) course part-time with a paid study component for 2 years.
For more information read the guidelines.
Previous recipients
Current Bachelor of Nursing (Hons) students
- Laura Hants (Medical, North Canberra Hospital) - Exploring the nursing process in the digital health record.
- Helen Legge (Cancer, University of Canberra) - What are the unmet supportive care experiences of people affected by cancer during COVID-19?
- Kelly Ford (Cancer, Canberra Health Services) - Exploring the experiences of distal-extremity cryotherapy in preventing Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) from paclitaxel administration in people affected by breast cancer.
- Elizabeth Lambert (Palliative Care, Canberra Health Services) - Experiences of employed carers providing end of life care for culturally and linguistically diverse people.
- Amy O’Dea (Cancer, Canberra Health Services) - The impact of changes to visitor policy on clinical cancer nurses.
Bachelor of Nursing (Hons) graduates
- Blake Askelin (Adult Nursing, Cancer, Canberra Health Services) - The impact of uro-oncology multidisciplinary team meetings on patient outcomes and patient engagement in the process.
Midwifery Honours Scholarship
The SYNERGY Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre, ACT Health in partnership with the University of Canberra offers a Midwifery Honours Scholarship to undertake a Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours) program. One scholarship may be awarded annually.
The purpose of the Midwifery Honours Scholarship is to facilitate supervised research, service evaluation and quality assurance, enhance the professional development of midwives, and promote a culture of inquiry and practice informed by evidence. This initiative is available to Registered Midwives 1.1 to 1.8 and provides successful candidates the opportunity to complete the Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours) course part-time with a paid study component for 2 years.
For more information read the guidelines.
Previous recipients
Current Bachelor of Midwifery (Hons) students
- Emma Gaudron (Maternity, Canberra Health Services) - Carbon monoxide monitoring for women who smoke during pregnancy: An integrated systematic review.
- Victoria Chard (Maternity, Canberra Health Services) - Outcomes of women presenting with decreased fetal movements at Centenary Hospital for Women and Children.
- Danielle Chenery (Maternity, Canberra Health Services) - A systematic review of the effectiveness of different models of maternity care to support perinatal mental health.
- Liane Halling (Maternity, Canberra Health Services) - Australian women’s experiences of care after a stillbirth.
- Emily Jansch (Maternity, North Canberra Hospital) - Examining food insecurity in an infant feeding context.
Bachelor of Midwifery (Hons) graduates
- Claire White (Maternity, Former Calvary Public Hospital Bruce) - A content analysis of web-based information on the postpartum care of perineal injury. First Class Honours.
- Jo Evans (Maternity, Centenary Hospital for Women and Children) - Birth outcomes, health and healthcare needs of childbearing women following wildfire disasters: An integrative review. First Class Honours.
- Amanda Peek (Maternity, Former Calvary Public Hospital Bruce) - Systematic integrative review: Midwifery postpartum practices and their impact on breastfeeding. First Class Honours.
More information
If you have questions contact SYNERGY at synergy@act.gov.au.