News article- Graduate nurses unable to find work, foreign workers taking their place

[Jessica Berry]

This is another one of those news stories that comes round every now and then. Probably with the budget announcements regarding health it puts it back in the spotlight again.

 

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-24/thousands-of-nursing-graduates-unable-to-find-work/5475320

[Guest Guest12727]

Graduate nurses need a graduate training position which is a completely different job from those taken by nurses with experience from overseas, local or interstate. I really wish the media would stop these attention grabbing headlines and focus on the facts.

[catherine.c]

The problem is that there is an expected shortfall of nurses in the next 10 years or so, so they are training thousands of RNs here but do not have, nor ever have had the amount of grad positions required to give them all jobs. If there were not so many international RN's (I am one of them) then there would be more positions but it would be a very unskilled work force.

International nurses are also often the main breadwinner - especially those from India and China. They work full time and go back full time after having children. Traditionally the Australian workforce either leave or work casual / part time after starting their families so this has had an impact on the workforce.

Movement of the workforce has also slowed as many jobs are now casual. Who would want to leave a permanent position for a casual one in the current economic climate?

I work in a private hospital that sponsored me but they have not sponsored anyone for several years now. The team on the ward have mostly been there for more than 5 years which is not usual in nursing! The only new staff are enrolled nurses who are cheaper to employ. I have pointed out that EN's are only cheaper in the short term as research shows that the higher qualified the staff, the shorter stay in hospital, hence cost less. Unfortunately this has fallen on deaf ears