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“ Many refugees who are nurses have vast expertise but face challenges gaining registration to practice in Australia .
Safe haven
Free program helps refugee nurses and addresses workforce shortage .
By Elise Hartevelt
Nurses forced to flee their homeland have been given a new chance to use their skills in Australia ’ s healthcare system thanks to a recently launched program .
The pilot ‘ Scholarship for Refugee Nurses ’ program , organised by Edith Cowan University ( ECU ), will enrol 10 refugee nurses in its graduate course .
ECU School of Nursing and Midwifery executive dean Professor Karen Strickland says it ’ s also a savvy way to address the nation ’ s workforce shortages .
“ WA is currently experiencing an acute shortage of RNs , which puts significant pressure on the delivery of clinical services , as well as affecting the wellbeing of the existing workforce ,” she says .
“ We need more experienced nurses in the workforce .”
In response , ECU and non-for-profit MercyCare put their heads together to find potential refugee and asylumseeking nurses looking to enter the program .
Once selected , the nurses will embark on the ‘ International Adaptation Program ’ for free and , after graduation , be eligible to work in Australian hospitals and healthcare providers .
Strickland says refugees and asylumseeking nurses in particular need support , as they ’ ve often experienced considerable trauma .
“ We recognise many refugees who are nurses have vast expertise but face challenges with gaining registration to practice in Australia ,” she says .
“ Our ECU course helps those nurses gain registration to allow them to practice and make a significant contribution to our community health .
“ Furthermore , we want to help those refugees who are part of our nursing community to settle in Australia and be welcomed into our community .”
Currently , one in three nurses working in Australia were born overseas .
While many people arrive by choice , some are forced to leave their country and need protection .
Australia saw the number of refugees applying for asylum reduce drastically from 28,000 in 2018 to around 13,000 in 2021 during the COVID restrictions .
However , the government has pledged to provide an additional 16,500 places for Afghan refugees and increase the budget for offshore humanitarian assistance .
Although many refugee nurses are experienced in their home country , Strickland says they ’ re often unable to work in Australia .
“ For some countries , the registration for nursing and the education for nursing is not recognised here in Australia , so they have to do an international adaptation program which can be quite costly ,” she says .
“ The ‘ Scholarship for Refugee Nurses ’ will help provide an additional workforce ethically rather than recruiting from overseas .”
MercyCare employment liaison officer Jacqui Wheland says the partnership with ECU will relieve some of the obstacles faced by refugees seeking work in Australia .
“ As a refugee or asylum-seeker new to Western Australia , it can be a daunting process to register to practice your profession locally ,” Jacqui says .
“ There is a lot to navigate and understand while adjusting to a new country , as well as the overwhelming financial barrier .
“ This pilot program offers a clear path to build on existing professional skills and transfer them to the local context .”
Overseas nurses need to complete the adaptation program to be able to work in Australia , but many are struggling to meet the requirements .
Jacqui says the first years of settling in are also turbulent , as people are busy finding housing and getting their children into school .
“ As time goes on , the majority discover the disparity between enrolling into the program and meeting the requirements becomes larger ,” she says .
“ It ’ s overwhelming for many . It ’ s not impossible , but it ’ s a long bridge to cross .” MercyCare walks refugees through their journey by offering support to meet the language requirements and get documentation in order .
Over the past months , they ’ ve seen refugees arriving from Ukraine and Afghanistan seeking asylum .
“ Many of our refugee and asylum-seeker clients have existing skills , qualifications and experience and are yearning to help others and be contributing members of their new community ,” Jacqui says .
“ In the case of registered nurses , it ’ s a perfect scenario to gain meaningful employment whilst helping alleviate pressure on the Western Australian health system .” ■
6 | nursingreview . com . au