Prime Minister Kevin Rudd this week announced 1094 new Commonwealth-supported university places for nurses.

But despite critical nurse shortages in the city, none of this funding will go to Bathurst.

Instead, 45 new places will be made available at Charles Sturt University’s Orange and Dubbo campuses.

Mr Rudd has announced that 15 places will go to the Graduate Certificate in Rural Mental Health Nursing – Distance Education which is serviced from the Orange campus, while the Bachelor of Nursing – Distance Education – Orange/Dubbo will receive 30 new places.

The Bathurst campus of CSU offers a Bachelor of Nursing both on-campus and by distance education.

There are currently 88 internal nursing students plus 62 students undertaking a mix of part-time and distance education studies. A further 470 are carrying out distance education, while 76 students are doing a double degree in nursing/paramedics.

The NSW Nurses Association has called on the Greater Western Area Health Service to actively recruit nurses to address severe nursing shortages at the new Bathurst Hospital.

The Association says a further 25 nurses are needed to bring staffing to an acceptable level.

Instead, the area health service has chosen to close 10 beds, with an option to surge patients into those beds if necessary.

Ten beds were closed in the surgical ward last week, with only five of these set to reopen when theatre reopens next week. A further five beds in medical will also close just as thousands of extra people pour into the city for the Bathurst 1000.

Ten beds will also be lost at Orange Hospital.

GWAHS stresses the bed closures are being implemented to reduce nurse workloads.

However, of the 74 positions advertised across the area health service on the GWAHS website yesterday, just eight nurses jobs were advertised for Bathurst and ten for Orange.

A total of 21 nursing jobs were advertised for Dubbo.

Prime Minister Rudd said nursing has been deemed a national priority area by the federal government.