faculty focus
Nursing’ s
Catch-22
Forecasts say the nursing workforce will soon be in crisis. So why can’ t our graduates get jobs? By Antonia Maiolo
The Australian Nursing Federation( ANF) estimates that only half of the nurses that graduated in South Australia last year have been employed, only 30 per cent of nurses in Tasmania, and as few as 10 per cent in Queensland. The union said 800 graduates are without employment in Victoria.
In other states nursing graduates are experiencing the same problem, with little to no employment available.
To try and secure funding for the employment of graduate nurses and midwives, the South Australian branch of the ANF has launched an online petition via social media in a bid to capture the attention of premier Jay Weatherill.
Only 50 per cent of the nurses who graduated in South Australia last year have been employed, and of those, only 30 per cent remained in the state.
Adjunct associate professor Elizabeth Dabars, CEO of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation( SA Branch) said nurses are getting really frustrated over the lack of jobs after being actively encouraged to pursue nursing and midwifery as a career.
Dabars believes that by 2025 South Australia will be approximately 25,000 nurses short if this issue is not addressed now, adding that the only way to avoid this is to capture graduates now.“ The next generation of nurses will simply not be there and will need an urgent financial investment then with an inferior result, as the skills we need for the future cannot simply be learnt overnight,” Dabars said.
“ We need graduates to be in work, developing clinical skills and gaining specialist knowledge to replace the nurses that will be lost as they retire over the next 5-10 years.”
Professor Alison Kitson, head of the School of Nursing at the University of Adelaide said all the work force data from Health Workforce Australia and other government agencies identifies the projected shortfall in nursing over the next decade.
Kitson said if these projections are accurate, then the industry is facing a significant crisis, which makes the apparent oversupply of newly-qualified graduates who cannot find jobs seem even more confusing.
“ However, when you look at why new graduates are not getting jobs, it’ s to do with health cutbacks,” Kitson said.
Kitson said there are plenty of jobs out there for nursing graduates but that they will need to be flexible and be prepared to travel.
Nursing graduates in Queensland are facing similar struggles in finding jobs. As of April, 775 FTE nursing and midwifery positions have been cut, out of a total of 3,539 FTE jobs cut from Queensland Health, according to the Queensland Nurses Union
Queensland Nurses Union secretary Beth Mohle said there are not going to be many jobs for graduates if existing jobs of nurses and midwives are being slashed.
“ I have met graduates who are working in petrol stations, supermarkets, cafes and boutiques,” Mohle said.
“ They are devastated about not being able to find meaningful employment in their chosen profession.”
According to Queensland Health, a lack of job vacancies for newly-qualified graduates could be attributed to reduced level of nursing staff turnover with workers choosing to retire later in their careers.
The department’ s chief nursing and midwifery officer Dr Frances Hughes said nursing students, just like other university students are not guaranteed a job upon graduating.
Hughes encourages all universities to remain in close contact with their local hospital and health service to determine the current and future demand for graduates.
“ Unfortunately, this is a timing issue which is also occurring interstate and internationally but I have no doubt Queensland will need more nurses in the near future,” Hughes said.
Professor Ysanne Chapman, dean of the school and midwifery at Central Queensland University said although CSU students are getting jobs in Queensland as well as interstate, vacancies are limited.
Chapman said fewer opportunities for new graduates can be attributed to funding cuts to Queensland Health and staff permanent staff choosing to stay on at their current job. n
26 | May 2013