Upskilling between nursing contracts can help nurses and midwives in Australia to refresh their clinical skills, build CPD hours and promote clinical confidence before their next role. It can also help clinicians to prepare for rural and remote travel agency placements.
Between nursing contracts, there is often a small window to reset before the next placement begins. It might only be a few weeks, however, with the right planning, that time can help you to continue to build confidence, refresh key clinical skills and prepare for future high-paying travel contracts.
Upskilling between contracts is not about adding more pressure to your downtime. It is about choosing practical, relevant courses that can both support the work you want to do next and help improve clinical outcomes. For Australian nurses and midwives, this could mean areas like rural and remote practice, maternity care or cultural safety.
Short online nursing CPD courses can be especially useful for agency nurses and midwives who are moving between regions, facilities, and models of care. A targeted refresher course can help you step into your next contract feeling prepared, capable and ready to make the most of the opportunity.
Read on for how to access free CPD courses and training for nurses and midwives.
RN Laurice on contract in Mildura, Victoria.
Why upskilling between contracts matters
Travel nursing and midwifery contracts can take you into a wide range of healthcare settings. You might move from a regional hospital to a rural multipurpose service, or from a maternity unit to a facility where resources and patient presentations look very different. That variety is one of the most rewarding parts of working with an agency. However, it is also why preparation matters.
Upskilling between nursing contracts can help you:
- Keep your clinical knowledge up to date
- Build confidence before starting at a new facility
- Prepare for rural and remote nursing placements
- Contribute to your CPD hours for AHPRA or NMBA requirements
- Refresh skills you may not have used recently
- Support safe clinical practice
- Explore new career pathways in travel nursing or midwifery
For RNs and RMs who want to work across Australia, flexible learning can be a practical way to feel more equipped before you arrive.
Affinity Clinical Education offers self-directed online CPD courses for nurses and midwives. It is designed to support clinicians who want to keep learning in a way that fits around contract work, travel and changing rosters.
Start with your next contract goal
Before choosing an upskilling pathway or CPD course, it can help to ask one simple question: Where do I want my next contract to take me?
Your answer can guide the type of professional development that will be most useful.
- If you want to explore remote nursing contracts to become an RAN, you may want to focus on cultural safety, pharmacotherapeutics, introduction to primary healthcare, maternity emergency care, manual 4×4 training, or mental health presentations in rural and remote practice.
- If you are interested in emergency or urgent care settings, you may want to refresh assessment skills, common cardiac presentations, shock management or deterioration management.
- If you are a midwife, you may want to strengthen your knowledge in postpartum haemorrhage, maternal collapse and sepsis, shoulder dystocia, or breech presentation.
- If you are preparing for aged care or multipurpose service roles, you may benefit from courses in respiratory presentations, diabetes asssessment or recognition and management of the deteriorating patient.
- If you are working towards a leadership or management role, like a Team Leader, NUM or MUM, you may wish to pursue leadership programs like Emerging Nurse Leader or Nurse Unit Manager Leadership from Australian College of Nursing and Institute of Leadership.
Upskilling is most effective when it is connected to your goals. Instead of trying to complete every course available, choose the areas that will support your professional growth for future roles.
What CPD courses can I complete between nursing and midwifery contracts?
There are many CPD courses available to help nurses and midwives to maintain up to date clinical knowledge and skills, or take the next step in their career.
The right course will depend on clinical specialty and interests, recent experience, scope of practice and the type of contract being worked towards. For some clinicians, it might mean refreshing core clinical skills. For others, building knowledge in a new area.
Below are some popular CPD courses and training opportunities that may help to secure your next role. For tailored education advice for your clinical specialty, book in a call with a clinical educator.
Is upskilling beneficial for rural and remote nursing contracts?
Targeted CPD can help bridge the gap between being interested in rural or remote placements and feeling ready to take the next step.
In smaller facilities or remote settings, you may need to work across broader presentations, have limited resources and different escalation pathways. Completing relevant training before your next contract can help you identify where you feel confident, where you need support and which contract settings best match your experience.
This can be especially useful if you are considering rural and remote nursing for the first time, returning after a break, or looking to move into more varied contracts across Australia.
Upskilling is not only beneficial for you, but also for the community, particularly if you are entering a new clinical environment. Ensuring you are appropriately prepared and supported can help you practise safely, work within your scope and deliver confident, patient-centred care.
How can I get free CPD courses for my clinical area?
If you are working with Affinity, you will be provided with free mandatory training* to support you as a nurse or midwife, including a $500 annual benefit towards courses such as PALS or ALS as part of our clinical education benefits scheme. Whether you’re an RN, a RAN, or an RM, click here to view what courses are available, or book in a complimentary chat with a clinical educator to find out more.
How Affinity Clinical Education supports and nurses and midwives
Affinity Clinical Education offers flexible online CPD courses, designed to support learning between contracts and around changing rosters.
Courses include mandatory training for AHPRA or NMBA requirements, and other specialty courses for a variety of clinical areas. Affinity nurses and midwives can also book specialised face to face training for Advanced or Paediatric Advanced Life Support to build and maintain advanced clinical skills, when relevant to their clinical area.
If you are preparing for your next contract, Affinity Clinical Education can help you choose learning that supports your goals, strengthens your confidence and fits into the space between placements.
Ready for a fresh start with travel contracts?
Upskilling between contracts can help you feel more prepared for your next role, but paired with the right agency support, your travel nursing experience can be both professionally rewarding and personally fulfilling.
With Affinity, you can access:
- Travel contracts across every state and territory of Australia
- Support from a dedicated Affinity Specialist, helping you find contracts that align with your experience, goals and lifestyle
- Competitive contract packages with travel and accommodation included*
- Free mandatory training through Affinity Clinical Education and a $500 Affinity Clinical Education annual course allowance*
- A team with decades of experience in nursing and midwifery
Whether you are already working contracts, looking for a better agency fit, or still deciding if travel nursing or midwifery is right for you, the Affinity team can help you understand your options and take the next step in your nursing or midwifery career with confidence.
Ready to explore what a career in travel contracts could look like with Affinity? Join now to see where your next role could take you.
You might also like:
Frequently asked questions
Useful CPD courses for travel nurses in Australia often include Advanced Life Support, Paediatric Advanced Life Support, recognition and management of the deteriorating patient, triage, medication safety, infection prevention and control, manual handling, falls prevention, cultural safety and primary healthcare.
Midwives may benefit from CPD in fetal surveillance, postpartum haemorrhage, maternal collapse and sepsis, neonatal resuscitation theory, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, DIC, safe sleeping, breastfeeding and perinatal mental health.
Upskilling can help strengthen your clinical profile, build confidence and show that you are actively maintaining relevant skills. Targeted training can support your readiness for travel nursing, rural and remote roles, emergency settings, aged care, primary healthcare or midwifery placements.
Affinity Nursing supports nurses and midwives with access to Affinity Clinical Education, including flexible online CPD courses across clinical refreshers, mandatory competencies, maternity topics, primary healthcare, rural and remote practice and other relevant learning areas. Affinity nurses and midwives can also book selected training opportunities through Affinity, including ALS and PALS.
You can strengthen your nursing profile by keeping your CPD current, gaining experience across different settings, completing high-value training and building skills that match the roles you want.
Courses such as ALS, PALS, triage, clinical deterioration, medication safety, cultural safety, infection control and specialty-specific training can help support a strong nursing resume.
Relevant CPD can help strengthen your profile and show that you are actively maintaining your skills, which may support your suitability for certain nursing or midwifery contracts.
Between nursing contracts, focus on rest, updating documents, completing relevant CPD, refreshing clinical skills and speaking with your agency about the types of contracts you want next.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or career advice. Always consult a professional for advice specific to your situation.