Pandemic has proved how crucial the healthcare system of every country is. It highlighted the importance of healthcare workers especially the frontrunner in hospitals – the NURSES. These modern day heroes carry with them tons of responsibilities in keeping each country’s health and wellness. Undeniably, nursing is one of the most demanding jobs.
According to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 2020, there were more than 642,000 registered health professionals working in Australia. Among these numbers, 350, 000 are nurses.Yet, a comprehensive analysis of Australia’s future health workforce published in 2014, the Department of Health estimated an 85,000 nurse shortage in Australia by 2025, increasing to 123,000 nurses by 2030.
The future employment structure of the health department demonstrates that there will not be enough nurses to provide care for Australia’s rapidly growing population. With this alarming shortage rate, the Australian government recommends nursing to be one of the top lists of work needed in Australia.
As this case is a problem in Australia, it is actually an opportunity for those who have high hopes to live and work in Australia. But first let us understand the reason behind nurse shortage in Australia.
What is the reason behind the nurse shortage in Australia?
Every profession is put to a test. This test either motivates the worker to do better or leaves the job for some reasons.
In a report from the International Council of Nurses in 2020, more than three-fourth of national nurse associations were alarmed that the pandemic’s demanding workloads, limited resources, burnout, and stress were among the factors causing nurses to leave their profession; according to recent data, 42% of nurses are less motivated to work than they were. Numerous factors, including growing workloads and required overtime, contribute to burnout.
Truly, the pandemic greatly tested nurses from all over the world – nurses in Australia are no exemption. Registered and practicing nurses in Australia are challenged to perform more varied tasks than ever before; this has been considered as one of the contributing factors of the nurses leaving their profession in Australia. Let’s take a closer look at two common defined factors why nurses are put to test as they practice their profession.
1) Workloads
Carayon (2008) identified four key factors why nurses have demanding workloads. These factors include increasing patient duration of stay, low nurse supply, decreased staffing and increased overtime, and rising patient demand.
This decreased staffing in Australia is a result of the increased aging population. A graph from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that the percentage of the Australian population aged 65 and over has increased, from 4.6% in 1922 to 16.2% in 2021.
The increased number means proportional increase as well for the number of workforce needed from the healthcare sector of the government particularly for registered and practicing nurses in Australia.
Generally, demanding workload has a number of significant effects on nurturing patients. According to research, a heavy nursing workload has a negative impact on patient safety. Additionally, it has a detrimental impact on nurses’ job happiness, which increases turnover and the nursing shortage (Duffield, 2003).
2) Burnout
The World Health Organization describes burnout as a work-related condition. This form of weariness is not exclusive to the nursing profession; professionals in any field, from teaching to engineering, can experience it. It is brought on by excessive expectations, lack of sleep, and other workplace stressors.
However, nurses and other medical professionals are more likely to experience burnout because of their high-stress working conditions. Nurse burnout is usually brought on by factors like long hours, pressure to make quick decisions, and the strain of providing care for patients who may not recover well.
To provide some context, in 2021, 58% of Australian general practitioners (GPs) identified managing exhaustion and burnout as one of their top challenges, and in a study conducted in February 2022, over 79% of primary care nurses stated that they had experienced burnout during the pandemic.
Nursing is still a very fulfilling job despite the current problems testing Australia’s healthcare industry and nursing staff. Nursing shortage has always been an underlying challenge in Australia prior to reports on nurses quitting their jobs and challenging working conditions.
Like any other jobs, nursing is demanding. That is why you need to have a heart to this profession to succeed and find fulfillment. Nursing must be one’s passion to keep up with its demanding nature.
Looking at the Other Side of the Fence
Australia’s attempt to partly resolve the nursing shortage in Australia is inviting its retired nurses to come out of retirement to help respond to the need for nurses especially during the pandemic. However, these people returning to nursing proved to be insufficient to meet the demand.
On a brighter side, this demand for nurses in Australia is a light of hope to those people who want to live and work in Australia as a nurse. This is a great chance for overseas nurses to practice nursing in Australia.
One of the easiest ways is to train through hundreds of available nursing training centers in Australia – AuRNPathway to name one. We have helped many overseas registered nurses achieve their dream of living and working as a nurse in Australia. Now is your best chance!
Be part of Australia’s Registered Nurses. Train with us and smooth sail to your AuRN dream with AuRNPathway!
References:
Carayon P, Gurses AP. Nursing Workload and Patient Safety—A Human Factors Engineering Perspective. In: Hughes RG, editor. Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2008 Apr. Chapter 30.
Duffield C, O’Brien-Pallas L. The causes and consequences of nursing shortages: a helicopter view of the research. Aust Health Rev. 2003;26(1):186–93.
World Health Organization. “Burn-out an ‘occupational phenomenon’: International Classification of Diseases.” May 28, 2019.
