Medibank and RMIT Expand Remote Allied Health Placements to More Communities

RMIT University and Medibank are expanding a program that funds allied health students to complete clinical placements in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with placements beginning in November, Mirage News reported.

How the Medibank BRIDGE Placements Work

Through Medibank's Building Respect, Inclusion, Diversity, Growth and Equity (BRIDGE) program, RMIT students receive financial support covering travel, accommodation and living expenses for five-week clinical placements in remote communities, including areas with health workforce shortages.

The program follows a pilot earlier this year in which physiotherapy students completed placements at Royal Darwin, Alice Springs and Palmerston Regional Hospitals. Results and student feedback led to expansion across more remote locations in the Northern Territory, rural Victoria and regional Queensland.

Professor Catherine Itsiopoulos, Deputy Vice-Chancellor STEM College and Vice-President at RMIT, said the program was designed with Medibank. "This partnership program, designed with Medibank, brings together expertise in education and industry to provide equitable student learning experiences and address pressing workforce challenges," she said.

A Medibank spokesperson said the placements give students experience alongside multidisciplinary teams. "These placements provide invaluable real-world experience while creating opportunities to learn directly from multidisciplinary health teams," the spokesperson said.

Professor Doa El-Ansary, Deputy Dean, Engagement, in RMIT's School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, said students had shown interest in returning to remote work. "One of the most encouraging outcomes from the pilot has been seeing students express a genuine interest in returning to work in the Northern Territory or other rural areas and work alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities," she said.

Melbourne student Maddy Quinn completed a Northern Territory placement that led directly to a full-time job. "This placement reinforced my desire to work outside of the big cities and help underserviced areas," Quinn said.

Medibank's Care Delivery Expansion

Medibank serves more than 3.7 million members across Australia with health, travel, pet and life insurance products, according to akta.pro company records. The same records show Medibank, through subsidiary Amplar Health, is expanding into GP clinic ownership and telehealth services, with insurers covering full member costs via telehealth platforms not reimbursed by Medicare.

Medibank's Recent Health Programs

Medibank launched the national 'Untangle' mental fitness platform with Colenso BBDO in October 2026, a campaign that includes a $100 million five-year mental health investment, LBB reported. Osara Health and Medibank also partnered to offer the Cancer Coach program to eligible Medibank members with cancer starting 14 October 2026, providing one-on-one coaching with exercise physiologists over 6-12 weeks, according to PR Newswire.

Placement Funding From 2027

The expansion comes as governments move to strengthen the allied health workforce, including new financial support for mandatory placements from 2027.