Agency & La Trobe launch free digital health course

The Australian Digital Health Agency and La Trobe University have launched a free online course for nursing and midwifery students, available nationwide.

Called Digital Health Foundations for Nursing and Midwifery: Competency Preparation for Placement, the programme is designed for students preparing to enter clinical settings and early professional practice. It aims to strengthen digital health knowledge before graduates join the workforce.

The course was developed to give nursing and midwifery students a structured, nationally consistent introduction to digital health. It was co-designed with clinicians, academics, consumers and recent graduates.

The programme comprises five modules: digital professionalism, leadership and advocacy, data and information quality, information-enabled care, and technology in practice. Each takes about 45 minutes.

According to the Australian Digital Health Agency, the content aligns with the National Nursing and Midwifery Digital Health Capability Framework. It also supports the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council Accreditation Standards, which recognise digital capability as part of safe and effective care.

Students work through case studies and practical activities designed to build technical understanding and reinforce ethical standards in care delivery. The course also introduces My Health Record and other national digital health tools used in professional practice.

On completion, students are expected to apply principles from the national capability framework, work with digital systems in healthcare settings, promote data quality through collection and evaluation, demonstrate digital professionalism, and advocate for digitally enabled care.

Amanda Cattermole, chief executive officer of the Australian Digital Health Agency, said the course forms part of a wider effort to lift digital health capability across the sector.

"Nurses and midwives are the backbone of Australia's healthcare sector," Cattermole said.

"By embedding digital health into education, we're building a workforce that can focus more on delivering safe, high-quality care. It strengthens clinical practice, supports better experiences for consumers, and helps drive the broader shift to a connected, digitally enabled health system."

"This course marks an important step in supporting Australia's future nurses and midwives with the digital literacy they need."

The agency said the course was designed in response to capability gaps identified across the sector. It sits alongside other online learning resources for nurses and midwives covering My Health Record, electronic prescribing, clinical safety and cyber security.

Karen Booth, Chief Clinical Adviser (nursing) at the Australian Digital Health Agency, linked the initiative to day-to-day care and readiness for practice.

"Digital health capability is a core component of delivering safe, person-centred care. By developing these skills, nurses and midwives are empowered and ready to provide the highest standard of care," Booth said.

"The course sits alongside a broader suite of online learning opportunities offered by the agency for nurses and midwives. These include nationally aligned training on My Health Record, electronic prescribing, clinical safety and cyber security."

Placement focus

La Trobe University said the material is intended to support students preparing for placement, where digital systems are now part of routine clinical work in hospitals, community care and other settings. The university also highlighted its relevance for students working across metropolitan, rural and regional services.

Yangama Jokwiro, associate professor at La Trobe University Rural Health Sciences, said digital skills should be central to how future nurses and midwives are prepared.

"At La Trobe University Rural Health School, we view digital capability as fundamental to preparing work-ready nursing and midwifery graduates, with skills relevant across all healthcare settings, including rural and regional communities," Jokwiro said.

"This course gives our students practical, nationally aligned skills that support safe, confident practice from their very first placement."

Wider plan

The course's development is linked to Action 4 of the National Digital Health Capability Action Plan, which focuses on preparing the health workforce for more connected care. This places the nursing and midwifery programme within a broader national policy effort to improve digital readiness across healthcare roles.

The launch also reflects growing expectations that new clinicians will be able to use shared records, digital prescribing systems and data tools as part of standard care. For nursing and midwifery students, that means digital literacy is increasingly being treated as part of placement readiness rather than as a specialist skill learned later in practice.

Delivered online, the course is accessible nationally, including to students studying or training in rural and regional areas.