Senior social worker Mohammed Salman and theatre nurse Aleena Varughese are among 365 Grampians Health staff who have recently built up their digital skills in health.
Their learning was part of a pilot program readying Victoria's health workforce to take advantage of digital technologies to improve both patient care and patient health outcomes.
The project was made possible through the Victorian Government's Skills Solutions Partnerships initiative and a partnership formed via the National Industry Innovation Network (NIIN) Health Alliance.
RMIT's Health Transformation Lab and College of Vocational Education, Cisco, and Grampians Health collaborated on this project, delivering it across multiple hospital sites in regional Victoria.
Director of the RMIT-Cisco Health Transformation Lab Nithya Solomon said the program's five micro-credentials ranged from foundations in digital health through to AI health.
"The healthcare sector is undergoing a digital revolution at an unprecedented scale and pace," Solomon said.
"To truly tap into the available technology and see the benefits, we need to rapidly build capability in key skillsets and knowledge."
Grampians Health's senior social worker Mohammed Salman and theatre nurse Aleena Varughese are ready to be part of the digital transformation of healthcare.
How Grampians Health staff benefited
Social worker Mohammed said the courses empowered staff to drive change. By switching from manual triage to digital tools, his team now has more time for patient care.
"Time is limited, and we need to support patients. This is where we can make a real difference daily," he said.
Nurse Aleena highlighted the benefits that would flow from cutting out the 'doubling up' of work, which happens when patient notes are first handwritten and then inputted into a computer.
"I had some basic digital knowledge before these courses, but now I am more confident and ready to explore further," Aleena said.
Grampians Health CEO Dale Fraser said the investment in digital literacy equipped health care workers with essential skills in areas such as generative AI, cybersecurity, and digital decision-making.
He said it was also a key step in preparing the workforce for the implementation of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system.
"The competencies they developed improve efficiency, strengthen data security, and increase adaptability to emerging technologies," Fraser said.
RMIT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Vocational Education and Vice-President Mish Eastman said the training exemplified RMIT's leadership in developing 'Earn and Learn' partnerships with industry.
"RMIT is rethinking learning and teaching models, to better address Australia's critical skills shortages and provide education solutions for adult learners who need to work alongside their studies," Eastman said.
Cisco's Regional Manager for ANZ & PI Emma Walker noted how the collaborative partnership was essential in delivering this unique industry-ready content.
"There has been a tremendous amount of research, evaluation, feedback to make this program really a quality product," Walker said.
"It's going to make a real difference for healthcare workers in this country."
The seven-month Grampians Health pilot, which concluded in June 2025, yielded positive results:
- 86% of participants said they were highly satisfied with the course content
- 76% said they could apply the learning directly to their roles
- 91% said Grampians Health would benefit from their participation in the courses.
For more case studies on how the alliance is advancing digital technology in healthcare, visit the National Industry Innovation Network (NIIN) Health Alliance website.
