Would $10,000 Make You Consider a Regional Healthcare Career?
A proposed new Victorian workforce scheme has put a simple question in front of healthcare professionals:
Would an extra $10,000 convince you to take your career regional?
The Victorian Liberals and Nationals have proposed a $40 million Regional Health Workforce Incentive Scheme, offering eligible doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals up to $10,000 to take a regional position, followed by potential annual incentives of up to $10,000 to encourage them to stay.
The proposal is an election commitment rather than current Victorian Government policy, so healthcare professionals can't apply for these payments today.
But the idea behind it raises a much more interesting question about healthcare recruitment.
What Actually Makes Someone Go Regional?
At CC Medical, we speak with healthcare professionals considering opportunities across Australia.
Money matters. But rarely is the decision as simple as adding $10,000 to a job offer.
For someone considering relocating, the questions can be much more practical:
- What will I actually earn?
- Is accommodation provided or subsidised?
- Will my travel or relocation costs be covered?
- What's the roster and contract length?
- What's the location actually like to live in?
- What's the location actually like to live in?
- Can I try regional work without committing permanently?
That last question is particularly important.
For many healthcare professionals, contract or locum doctor work can be an entry point into regional Australia.
Instead of relocating permanently for a job you've never experienced, a temporary placement can allow you to work within the health service, experience the community and decide whether the lifestyle suits you.
The Regional Recruitment Challenge Is Changing
There are signs that governments and health services increasingly recognise that attracting healthcare professionals requires addressing the practical barriers around the job as well as the vacancy itself.
Accommodation is a good example.
Just this month, 33 new apartments were completed next to Shepparton Hospital, providing accommodation for up to 39 healthcare workers including doctors, nurses and allied health professionals. The project is specifically designed to make it easier to attract healthcare professionals to the region.
Combine initiatives like this with relocation assistance, regional incentives, travel support and competitive remuneration, and the proposition starts looking quite different from simply:
"Here's a regional job. Are you interested?"
Could Regional Work Be Worth More Than You Think?
This is where we'd encourage healthcare professionals to do some homework before automatically ruling a location out.
Regional opportunities vary enormously.
A Doctor considering a locum placement has different priorities from a Nurse considering a 12-week contract or a Physiotherapist looking at a longer-term regional position.
The financial package can also extend well beyond the advertised salary or daily rate.
Depending on the opportunity, there may be accommodation, travel, allowances, relocation assistance or other incentives available.
And then there's the career value.
Regional healthcare can expose professionals to different patient populations, broader scopes of practice, different clinical environments and experiences that may be harder to obtain in metropolitan settings.
Don't Just Ask "How Much Is the Incentive?"
A $10,000 payment will attract attention.
But we'd suggest asking a different question:
What's the entire opportunity worth to me?
Compare the remuneration. Look at accommodation and travel. Understand the roster. Consider the clinical experience. Think about the location and lifestyle.
Then decide whether the move stacks up.
That's also where a specialist healthcare recruiter can add value.
CC Medical works with healthcare professionals and health services across Australia, giving our recruiters visibility into opportunities across different locations and employment models.
Our job is to help you compare those opportunities and understand what you're actually being offered — not simply send you another job advertisement.
Curious? See What's Out There
Victoria's proposed $10,000 incentive may or may not ultimately become policy.
But you don't have to wait until then to investigate regional work.
There are already regional, rural and remote opportunities across Australia for Doctors, Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health professionals, including temporary contract and locum doctor positions that don't necessarily require a permanent move.
So perhaps the question isn't:
Would $10,000 make you go regional?
It's:
What would the right regional opportunity need to offer to make you say yes?
Talk to the CC Medical team and find out what's currently available.
