A university program is spreading its wings, with the enrolment of new students from rural and remote centres such as Charleville, Clermont and Proserpine next year.

Caption: Katrine Ollis, pictured outside Charleville Hospital, is one of 3 of the hospital's registered nurses now enrolled to study midwifery.

The program has been developed by Central Queensland University to help registered nurses from rural and remote areas undertake their midwifery degree.

Program spokesperson Dawn Hay said students can start their clinical education in a rural maternity unit and then transfer to a more complex maternity unit to complete their degree.

These students will graduate with Graduate Diploma of Midwifery qualification and have the opportunity to follow on with their Masters of Midwifery

"The benefits include addressing the major recruitment and retention issues of health care professionals in the bush," Ms Hay said.

"This will also help sustain rural maternity units and strengthen the midwifery profession.

"It will support pregnant women and their families, by allowing them increased access to maternity services in the bush, and it will provide educational opportunities for registered nurses who are the backbone of rural and remote healthcare services."

Ms Hay said Charleville was an example of a small hospital which had gone the extra mile to find resources to enable 3 of its registered nurses to pursue midwifery studies.

This process has been supported by the unique role of the University's Midwife Link Academic, whose work is to unite rural and tertiary hospitals.

"The advantage is that they will end up with 3 new midwives on their staff," she said.

"We must also recognise the support of metro-area hospitals, including the Gold Coast, Logan, Toowoomba, Ipswich and Royal Brisbane Women Hospitals who are supportive of this program."

Queensland Health's Acting District Director of Nursing, South West Judy De La Cruz has welcomed the initiative, saying without it, her registered nurses would not have been able to stay working in Charleville while undertaking the course.

"That's the big bonus for me," she said. "Our staff are getting added qualifications and maintaining our usual midwifery service."