PLACEMENT POVERTY: HEALTH SCIENCE TERTIARY EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA

Right now, there are over 200,000 students across Australia studying health sciences, comprising of medicine, nursing and allied health professions, among others. They play a critical role in our health system, caring for our sick and elderly, and entry into these fields of study are competitive. Upon entry into these programmes however, students are faced with a grim reality: the expectation to participate in a number of unpaid, full-time placements to further their training. Tianna Peck and Mac Hanlin explore this issue further.