WORKFORCE
WORKFORCE
‘ Crucial service ’
Nurse practitioners continue to be key to GP crisis
By Erin Morley
Masters degrees in nursing are now on the curriculum at a number of universities in Australia to allow nurses to become qualified nurse practitioners ( NPs ). Once qualified they are able to prescribe medication and conduct health assessments , which can take the load off overstretched GPs .
Registered nurses ( RNs ) need to complete a master ’ s course and have an endorsement from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia ( NMBA ) to become a NP who are able to write specialist referrals and directly treat patients with medication .
The federal government ’ s 2023 Nurse Practitioner Workforce Plan says that demand and cost for health services and aged care is growing rapidly as it our ageing population . Increased NP services and workforce participation is one way to relieve the demand that currently falls primarily to GPs and hospital emergency departments .
The plan , which aims to remove barriers affecting the workforce , also projects that demand for NPs is expected to grow , referencing domestic and international evidence that demonstrates how they improve access to healthcare .
Federation University Australia ’ s ( FedUni ) new Masters of Nursing program offers the opportunity for registered nurses to become nurse practitioners in regional Victoria . Students can study the course online , part time or fulltime , while continuing to work as an RN .
Latrobe Regional Hospital chief nurse Anita Raymond said that because of the FedUni course ’ s location in regional Victoria , it will provide access to allow nurses to progress in their career .
“ We have actively worked to build our NP workforce for more than a decade but unfortunately nurses have had to travel to Melbourne or interstate to advance their skills .”
“[ Nurse practitioners ] bring another level of expertise to our organisation and have made a significant contribution to reducing wait times for care and addressing gaps in service delivery ,” Ms Raymond said .
The federal government ’ s MyMedicare scheme , launched in October , aims to formalise relationships between GPs , patients , and their primary care team
“ Nurse practitioners bring another level of expertise to our organisation and have made a significant contribution to reducing wait times
through voluntary registration . This has sparked further discussion about how NPs could work in increasing workforce size to meet the demand this scheme might create .
Bass Coast Health ( BCH ) acting manager Mandie Heffernan said hospitals in regional Victoria are also anticipating the nurse practitioner workforce will grow .
“ Currently BCH employs NPs in our aged care area and emergency department , providing a crucial service to our community at a time of significant regional growth ,” she explained .
“ With the projected population expansion , increasing demand and enhancement of capability across multiple services at BCH , the need to strengthen the nursing workforce has never been so important .” ■
nursingreview . com . au | 15