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As part of its Masters of Nursing and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree courses, The University of Western Australia has teamed with the Brightwater Care Group to provide valuable experience for students and quality care for aged care residents - so successfully that it was a finalist in UWA's recent Teaching and Learning awards.

The project also won a national Better Practice award from the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency for "Building the workforce for aged care tomorrow - an innovative interprofessional approach".

The project offers nursing, pharmacy, dietetics, occupational therapy and medical students several weeks' work experience in a residential aged care facility.  In addition to UWA, students from Curtin University were also included.

After the Brightwater placement, some students said they would like to specialise in aged care and many had a changed and more positive understanding of the area.

Brightwater Care Group's Chief Executive Officer, Dr Penny Flett, said winning the award was an outstanding result and recognised the hard work of Brightwater staff in developing a project that uses an interdisciplinary approach to resident care.

Media references

Associate Professor Rosemary Saunders (UWA School of Population Health)  (+61 8)  6488 8108
Michael Sinclair-Jones (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 3229  /  (+61 4) 00 700 783