ALP Policy A Good First Step In Addressing Nursing Workforce Ills, Australia

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 19 Oct 2007 - 12:00 PDT

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The recent announcement by the ALP to encourage 9,250 nurses into the health system is warmly welcomed.

In the lead up to the federal election the ANF has been calling for an extra 1000 undergraduate nursing places in universities per year to cover the expected workforce shortfall. The increase announced today by the ALP shows that finally someone is listening.

The aim to graduate an extra 1500 nurses in five years with an ongoing increase of 1000 extra university places per year is a positive sign that the ALP understands the need of the community for nursing care.

Encouraging nurses to re-enter the workforce will go a long way to helping the immediate workforce crisis. Many nurses who have left, for whatever reason, find it difficult to re-enter the workforce for financial and professional reasons. Giving them access to funds that will help with things like childcare and education costs is essential.

"This initiative is a good first step" says Ged Kearney, Assistant Federal Secretary "however we still require a coordinated approach through a national workforce strategy linking education to workforce needs. With nurses continuing to leave the profession it is important to address issues like poor pay and conditions and unmanageable workloads. We have to address retention as well as recruitment."

Nurses working in aged care for example are paid up to $250 a week less than their colleagues working in other sectors. Closing this wages gap would go along way to attracting nurses back into aged care and back into nursing.

While it is important to attract nurses back to the profession and we applaud the initiative it is imperative that those 250,000 nurses who have stuck it out and remained nursing are also acknowledged for their commitment.

http://www.anf.org.au/

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