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Australian Nursing Federation:"The ANF is the national union for nurses and the largest professional nursing organisation in Australia. The ANF's core business is the industrial and professional representation of nurses and nursing through the activities of a national office and branches in every State and Territory." Professional Services (Canberra Office) Unit 3, 28 Eyre Street, Kingston ACT 2604 Australia Tel. 61 2 6232 6533 Fax. 61 2 6232 6610 professional@anf.org.au http://www.anf.org.au/ ****************************************************** ****************************************************** March 20, 2006: Australia: Boom in nursing faces new hurdle:"THE University of Tasmania's nursing degree is soaring in popularity but there are concerns hospitals cannot keep up with the influx of trainees. A record 290 students have enrolled in the first year of the University of Tasmania's Bachelor of Nursing degree this year, which is 70 more than the usual intake. Overall, the degree has 790 enrolled this year compared with 694 last year. The Australian Nursing Federation yesterday welcomed the surge in interest in nursing, but warned it would be difficult to cater for the extra undergraduates needing clinical placements in hospitals." http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,18528915%255E3462,00.html ****************************************************** February 26, 2006: Australia: Police check plan for carers:"AGED care specialists will consider making police checks mandatory for all nursing home workers at an emergency summit in Canberra next month. The meeting of the Aged Care Advisory Committee (ACAC) was called after allegations four women aged in their 90s were sexually abused by a male staff member in a Victorian nursing home last year. Minister for Ageing Santo Santoro said the March 14 summit would look for solutions to allegations of abuse, including whether to introduce mandatory reporting of suspected abuse and protection for whistleblowers." http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18279122-29277,00.html ****************************************************** Wednesday, August 10, 2005: Australia: Opposition reveals nursing plan:"The NSW Opposition has announced plans to give nursing students more practical experience in hospitals. Under the plan, partnerships will be established with universities. They will allow nurses to spend two days a week in local hospitals like Wauchope, Macksville and Kempsey and three days a week studying. Oxley MP Andrew Stoner says the plan will give students a more realistic idea of the job. http://nursingdiscussions.com/1434050 ****************************************************** May 02, 2005: Australia: Nurse shortage eases:"MORE nurses and midwives are returning to the state's public health system, figures show. State Government data shows in the past three years, the vacancy rate for nurses and midwives in the public system has halved. In January, there was a shortage of 301.3 full-time equivalent nurses and midwives in public hospitals. In July 2002, there was a shortage of 611.26. Latest figures from the South Australian Nurses Board also show an increase in the number of enrolled and registered nurses in SA. The figures show there are 25,783 enrolled and registered nurses, compared to 23,638 in June 2002." http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15147929-1246,00.html ****************************************************** Sunday, February 20, 2005.: Australia: NSW begins drive for more nurses:"The New South Wales Government has announced a new recruitment plan to address the shortage of nurses in the state hospital system. The Government is hoping its new strategy will result in more than 1,800 additional nurses coming into the system over the next two years. For the first time, every graduate of the trainee enrolled nurses course will be offered jobs in a public hospital." http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1306672.htm ****************************************************** February 19, 2005: Australia: Nurse shortage to reduce new hospital's hours:"When it opens next month, the Casey Hospital will only take emergency patients for 12 hours a day. A new hospital's emergency department will open next month, but for only 12 hours a day as the hospital is having difficulty recruiting nurses. The Casey Hospital in Berwick, which has been gradually opening services since last year, will have an emergency department staffed only from 8am to 8pm when it opens on March 15. The hospital, part of the Southern Health network, yesterday confirmed it was short of emergency nurses, but hoped its emergency department would open around the clock in a few months." http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Nurse-shortage-to-reduce-new-hospitals-hours/2005/02/18/1108709433273.html?oneclick=true ****************************************************** January 4, 2005: Australia: Rejected as nurse for bad writing:"STEPHANIE Goldner admits her handwriting is messy - but never thought it could cost her a job. Ms Goldner, from Avalon on Sydney's Northern Beaches, is reeling from failing an entrance exam to become an enrolled nurse - because her handwriting was deemed not up to scratch. "They said my arguments were well-developed, I had answered the questions well but my handwriting was too messy," the 23-year-old said yesterday. "He [an exam assessor] said, 'I can see why they failed you. It wasn't for your content, your writing's pretty hard to read'." http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11842481%255E421,00.html ****************************************************** Tuesday, October 26, 2004, AMA criticises nurse poaching:"The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says the recruitment of foreign nurses is a short-term fix and should not be the main solution to addressing the current nursing shortage. Vice-president of the AMA Mukesh Haikerwall says instead of poaching nurses from countries like South Africa and Zimbabwe, more should be done to train nurses locally. "People are being recruited currently from countries where their services would be far greater of use and benefit," he said." http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1228456.htm ****************************************************** Warning on nurse ratio, April 14, 2004:"PATIENTS would die if the Victorian Government forced nurses to abandon mandatory nurse-patient ratios, a leading academic warned yesterday. Sioban Nelson said international research showed that when a nurse took on more than four patients, the risk of each additional patient dying rose by 7 per cent. Victoria is the only state with a mandatory staff ratio in hospitals of five nurses for every 20 patients, although unions in Western Australia and Tasmania have demanded a similar system in their latest wage claims." http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9272200%255E23289,00.html ****************************************************** Nurse exodus warning over patient ratios Australia, March 28, 2004:"Australia - Victoria's shortage of nurses will be aggravated if the State Government dispenses with its world-renowned system of nurse-patient ratios, according to new research. A Sydney University report warned yesterday that removing the standard of five nurses to 20 patients in major Melbourne hospitals would precipitate a staff exodus from Victoria's health service." http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/index.php?newsid=6853 ****************************************************** Wednesday, January 22, 2003: Australia: Health Minister calls for more nurses:"The New South Wales Health Minister, Craig Knowles, is pressing the Federal Government to open up more study positions for nurses at Australian universities. The push comes after revelations more than 4,000 students who chose nursing as their first university option failed to secure a place in the first round of university offers." http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s767465.htm ****************************************************** January 19 2003: Australia: Nursing places cut despite shortage:"Some Victorian universities have cut nursing places this year despite rising demand among school-leavers and a serious shortage in the health system. At least 4200 Victorians are believed to have applied for nursing courses, a substantial rise from last year, education sources said. Nursing faculties have warned that without extra funding, they cannot offer any new places, despite the state's urgent need for more nurses. A spokesman for Health Minister Bronwyn Pike told The Sunday Age: "An additional 800 undergraduate university nursing places are required immediately to meet current and projected demand." http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/18/1042520820219.html ****************************************************** Monday, 6 January 2003: Australia: Popularity of nursing trainng continues to grow:"Demand for nursing training has continued to rise in the territory, as hospitals across the country struggle to maintain staffing levels. Applications for the University of Canberra's nursing degree outstripped vacancies again this year, with about 500 people vying for less than 150 places. UC Pro Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Khadra said this was the fifth year that the course's popularity had increased. This was pleasing news for the university, but did not address the current staffing crisis. About 20 per cent of nurses left the profession after their first year, he said. "We have a nursing shortage of about 70,000 in the world at the moment. "One problem is that while we can train them, we can't fix the conditions under which they work," he said. The news comes after reports that nurses continued to shun the public hospital system in NSW in the last financial year, with more than two-thirds of those registered choosing to work elsewhere." http://canber ra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&category=general%20news&story_id=201355&y=2003&m=1 ****************************************************** December 19, 2002: Australia: Nurses win pay rise:"The NSW Industrial Relations Commission has awarded the state's nurses a six per cent pay rise, which together with previous agreements will boost their salaries by almost 16 per cent by mid next year. In an interim ruling, the commission said the six per cent rise should help address chronic nurse shortages plaguing NSW public hospitals. The increase is effective from January 1, the same day a previously agreed four per cent rise will kick in. Nurses' pay will climb by a further five per cent on July 1 under a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government. "The full effects of these increases will be to produce a total increase of over 15.75 per cent in the first six months of 2003," the commission said." http://news.ninemsn.com.au/National/story_31669.asp ****************************************************** December 15 2002: Australia: Foreign nurses hired as shortage bites:"One of Melbourne's biggest private hospitals, the Epworth, is recruiting about 60 nurses from Ireland - almost all of them Filipinos - as Australia joins the international search for qualified nursing staff, who are in short supply the world over. The nurses will begin work in January and February on 12-month contracts and will join another contingent of about 40 the hospital recruited from Singapore last year in its first overseas recruitment drive. A number of public hospitals, including the Monash Medical Centre, Peninsula Health and the Austin & Repatriation Medical Centre, are also recruiting overseas, in a bid to boost staff levels and complement local recruitment efforts." http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/14/1039656259663.html ****************************************************** December 3, 2002: Australia: Aged-care crisis looms:"I AM a registered nurse with 10 years' experience in public hospitals who has recently begun working in a nursing home in this area. Although we often hear of our ailing public hospital system, I am dismayed to discover the conditions in the aged-care sector are considerably worse. Nursing staff in aged-care facilities receive 3 per cent less pay than public-sector colleagues. This, in turn, causes an ever greater shortage of nursing staff." http://www.stgeorgesutherlandleader.com.au/read.asp?article=3071355.txt&s=news ****************************************************** Wednesday, November 27, 2002: Australia: Concern over aged care in NT:"We certainly are very, very short of nurses in aged care at the moment for a number of reasons," he said. "The two main ones that nurses are telling us is the pay inequity with aged care nurses at least about $100 behind the basic registered nurse wage and the other thing is as a reflection of the shortage is the fact that workloads are huge at the moment." http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s736142.htm ****************************************************** Tuesday, 26 November 2002: Australia: Pink power in Bega:"PINK Power was displayed in Bega on Thursday in Ayres Walkway as local aged care nurses joined the state-wide day of action to highlight their concerns to the public, families, employers and governments. Over 1,600 people signed the petition at the Ayres Walkway stall. They were told that there is inadequate funding to enable very caring staff who love the work they are doing to provide the level of care that aged people deserve. Ms Jo Dixon, one of the Bega nurses, said that "these people have worked hard all their lives and deserve to have appropriately qualified and experienced staff to look after the sicker residents in care." http://bega.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&category=general%20news&story_id=194125&y=2002&m=11 ****************************************************** November 24 2002: Australia, Melbourne: Surgery on Tuesday, room service by Thursday:"On a Tuesday morning Tim Jones had brain surgery - a delicate three-and-a-half-hour microsurgical procedure to remove a tumour from his pituitary gland, located just behind the nose, at the base of the brain. Two days later, Royal Melbourne Hospital staff gave the 28-year-old patient a Cabcharge docket and sent him to Rydges Hotel, nearby in Flemington Road." http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/11/23/1037697934131.html ****************************************************** November 22, 2002: Australia: Nurses' test case before court:"The case, before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, will put to the test plans by the area health service to replace qualified nursing managers with bureaucrats. The nurses will argue that at a time when NSW faces a critical shortage of trained nurses it makes no sense to further erode nursing career structures by allowing managers with no nursing experience to take the clinical leadership role in hospitals." http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/articles/2002/11/22/1037697852930.html ****************************************************** Sunday, November 17, 2002: Australia, South: SA addressing nursing shortages with UK recruitment drive:"A nursing recruitment drive is underway in the United Kingdom and Ireland as part of the South Australian Government's effort to address the shortage of nursing staff in public hospitals. Premier Mike Rann, who is in Britain at the moment, says another 400 nurses are needed. He says the shortage has prompted the Royal Adelaide Hospital to hold interviews for nurses in Dublin last week." http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s728733.htm ****************************************************** Sunday, 3 November 2002: Australia: Nursing shortage affects Wami Kata:"And now the nationwide nursing shortage is impacting on the home with a vacant registered nurse position unable to be filled. Manager Neil Copley says the home has been advertising for a registered nurse since August and to date has not had any applicants, despite the position being 27 hours a week, and mainly day shift hours. While hospitals are utilising expensive nursing agency staff to fill staffing gaps, Mr Copley said this is not an option for Wami Kata. "Our funding is such that it is not sustainable and I don't believe agency staff would cope with the flexibility of services on offer and the dynamic environment," Mr Copley said." http://portaugusta.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&category=general%20news&story_id=189393&y=2002&m=11 ****************************************************** Friday, 1 November 2002: Tasmania: Nurses call off strike:"Tasmanian nurses yesterday called off threatened industrial action after striking an agreement with the Health Minister over care assistants. Australian Nursing Federation branch secretary Neroli Ellis said the written agreement with Health Minister David Llewellyn meant carers would only be used in two wards at the Royal Hobart Hospital." http://www.examiner.com.au/story.asp?id=147648 ****************************************************** October 24, 2001, The Guardian, Fix the nursing crisis, fix the system:"On October 18 nurses throughout NSW took strike action as part of their campaign for a pay rise and special retention and qualification allowances which nurses say will help overcome a major nurse shortage in the State. The strike by nurses is the culmination of the three-month campaign, "What's a Nurse Worth?", and reflects a broader crisis afflicting Australia's public health system." http://www.cpa.org.au/garchve4/1068nrse.html ****************************************************** 20 November 2001, Overtime is putting nurses and patients at risk, NSW Nurses Association:"The current gap between the excessive work demands of nurses and what nurses can reasonably do threatens nurses' health and puts patients at risk, Professor Linda O'Brien Pallas, an international expert on nursing workforce issues, will tell a major nursing conference in Sydney tomorrow." http://www.nswnurses.asn.au/news_media/media_011120a.html ****************************************************** July 2001, Senate Inquiry Into Nursing, Australian College of Health Services Executives:"The Australian College of Health Services Executives has consulted with its members and the wider health industry to canvass their level of concern about shortage of nurses. This has been done through a workshop and establishment of a College working party which reviewed members' suggestions and previous research. There is a lack of applicants for HECS places in Universities in nursing courses and there are therefore insufficient numbers of new nurses being produced. Additionally there is a high level of attrition from the workforce with many trained nurses taking up alternative careers. As a result there are vacancies throughout the health services, with some specialist areas being harder hit than others (eg midwifery, critical care, mental health, aged care, particularly dementia specific)." http://www.achse.org.au/whatsnew/nursing.html ****************************************************** Nursing Shortages Predominate in National Skill Shortages List (Queensland, Australia):"The federal Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business (DEWRSB) has recently released their regular assessment of national and state skills shortages. The report, prepared in late 1999, identifies occupational groups where there are shortages of skills in particular areas. These shortages may be localised to a particular geographical area or state and relate to particular specialty areas." http://www.qnu.org.au/nursingshortages.htm ****************************************************** 4 October 1999, Hospitals closing beds due to nursing shortage, Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch):"Hospitals and health services across Victoria have commenced closing beds and reducing services because of the nursing shortage, and ANF Vic Branch secretary, MS Belinda Morieson, has warned this is just the beginning, with other facilities set to follow. "The nursing shortage is really beginning to bite Victorian health services and at any given time there are as many as 200 beds closed because of it.", Ms Morieson said." http://www.anfvic.asn.au/media_releases/pr991004.htm ****************************************************** Sunday 3 October 1999, ACCIRT Survey shows nursing workload time-bomb set to explode, Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch):"The community is being spared from the full effects of the critical nursing shortage because nurses are contributing up to 450 equivalent full-time jobs by working unpaid overtime and working through their meal breaks, a survey by the Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training (ACIRRT) has found. ANF (Vic Branch) secretary, Ms Belinda Moreison said "The Victorian community is already watching beds being closed and services being reduced because of the nursing shortage, and this survey shows the situation will only get worse as nurses say to the Government 'You have taken us for granted for long enough - fix it'"." http://www.anfvic.asn.au/media_releases/pr991003.htm ****************************************************** ****************************************************** The Shortcut URL To This Section Is: http://www.nursefriendly.com/shortage/ See also: Horror Stories -- working short staffed How Is The Nursing Shortage Affecting You? Join The Discussion in Our Forums Nursing Burnout, Nursing Salaries, Payscales, Salary Surveys The Nursing Shortage, Your Opinions To Stay In Nursing or Not National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc.:"The following narratives have been written by individual state boards of nursing regarding the significant activities in their respective states related to the nursing shortage. These excerpts do not provide a comprehensive update of the nurse shortage in these states or nationwide. The information is simply intended to share information among Member Boards." National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. 676 N. St. Clair Street Suite 550 Chicago, Illinois, 60611-2921 Telephone: (312) 787-6555. info@ncsbn.org http://www.ncsbn.org/news/stateupdates_state_shortage.asp Choose by State, Country: Africa, Australia's Nursing Shortage, Canada's Nursing Shortage, British, Great Britain's Nursing Shortage, Nursing & Healthcare Chatrooms, Discussion Boards, Staffing Discussion Boards Choose by local nursing shortage news by state: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah State, Virginia, Washington State, Wyoming 2003 Nursing Shortage News Coverage 2002-2000 News On the Nursing Shortage 1999 News on The Nursing Shortage Nursing Shortage Serious For Seniors, About.com:"As the population ages the impact of the nursing shortage will be even greater. There is a threat to the health of every older adult in the United States and Canada looming on the horizon. It is not a virus or new type of bacteria that is causing this threat. The threat to health is a result of the increasing shortage of nurses in both countries. Over the last couple of years there have been numerous stories in the press about the magnitude and causes of the shortage. So far solutions for this situation have been few. Additionally this nursing shortage will impact the oldest of citizens the most. Older adults use health care services at a higher rate than do younger people. Advances in medicine and improved nutrition and lifestyle have added years to the average life span. With this longer life comes higher needs for medical services, especially the services of professional nurses." http://seniorhealth.about.com/cs/prevention/a/nurse_shortage.htm ****************************************************** The Nurse/Patient Ratio by Genevieve M. Clavreul RN, Ph.D.:"The New Year heralds many things, and this year brings legislation mandating a patient/nurse ratio in California. But after the confetti stops falling, did we get what we want? We now have a panacea for thousands of nurses in California, however, the ratio really can’t be enforced. (At the writing of this article the companion bill for enforcement is stalled in the legislature, having been defeated at least once already). As my children are fond of saying, “why am I not surprised?” Having been a nurse for almost 30 years, most of those years spent in the NICU/PICU, I am used to working with a strict nurse/patient ratio. ICU’s and a few other areas of nursing have always been under the control of an “acuity” system. Actually, all nursing is supposed to be, but we all know this isn’t always the case. For this reason, I knew in my heart that legislating a nurse/patient ratio was probably an exercise in futility." Working Nurse, Working World Magazine 3600 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1526 Los Angeles, CA 90010 Tel:(213)385-4781, Fax:(213)385-3782, WorkingNurse@WorkingWorld.com http://www.workingworld.com/magazine/viewarticle.asp?articleno=254&wn=1 ****************************************************** Nursing: A Medical Emergency, and Opportunity, hits home by Ronald A. Reis and Karen F. Reis RN:"You’re an RN, and you’ve been at it, administering to the sick and wounded, for months, years, maybe even decades. You’ve got your hands full with 12-hour shifts, high turnover, an often less than supportive work environment, and a stressed-out health care system that is, in places, itself on life-support. What to do? How to keep going? How to make this job, career, meaningful again? How to get out of nursing what you went into it for? How to avoid adding to the national nursing shortage by short-circuiting your own involvement in a noble profession?" Working Nurse, Working World Magazine 3600 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1526 Los Angeles, CA 90010 Tel:(213)385-4781, Fax:(213)385-3782, WorkingNurse@WorkingWorld.com http://www.workingworld.com/magazine/viewarticle.asp?articleno=253&w ****************************************************** Preparing for Battle: What YOU can do for YOU, Sicker patients, reduced staffing, longer hours, and increased responsibilities—by Deborah Lynne, RN, BSN:"As Registered Nurses, few of us think of the hospital we work in as a battlefield, or of ourselves as soldiers. But the truth is, there are more similarities than you might think. We show up for our shift each day, not knowing what challenges we might encounter. Our job requires us to be in the moment at all times, and to make split second decisions on the run. What we do or don’t do can mean the difference between life and death. We often work under extreme stress, yet must remain calm and in control. Although there are others who function in a supportive capacity, we are the ones on the frontline." Working Nurse, Working World Magazine 3600 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1526 Los Angeles, CA 90010 Tel:(213)385-4781, Fax:(213)385-3782, WorkingNurse@WorkingWorld.com http://www.workingworld.com/magazine/viewarticle.asp?articleno=255&wn=1 ****************************************************** If your website is not listed here, we encourage you to submit it: Add Your Website/URL. See also: Nursing Topics, A to Z: Nursing Degrees, LPN-RN, RN-BSN, RN-MSN, Online/Offline College, University and more!:"Higher income. Career mobility. Now, no matter where you live or what your schedule, you can earn your Associate or Bachelor Degree to take your professional life to the next level — without putting the rest of your life on hold!" Gifts For Nurses: http://www.nursefriendly.com/gifts/ 4nursinguniforms.com:"Choose from Top Nursing Uniform Companies. All sizes, styles and popular name brands available. Large selection of accessories as well: Accessories Blood Pressure Cuffs, Sphygnomanometers Nursing Tote Bags, Carry-Ons, Medical Bags Clinical, Medical Supplies, Nurses Discount Outlet: Angels, Books, Clothing , Equipment, Figurines, Holidays, Home Decor, Jewelry, Nurses, Office Decor, Scrubs, Shoes, T-Shirts Footwear, Shoes, Sandals, Discount, Bargains Gifts For Nurses (Nurses Week) Hosiery, Socks, Stockings Hats, Jackets, Jumpers Jewelry, Earrings, Necklaces, Watches Luxury Spas, Facials, Manicures, Pedicures Perfumes, Fragrances, Phermones Shoes, Boots, Sandals, Footwear, High Heels, Slippers Stethescopes, Nurse Kits, Replacement Parts Swimwear (Tan-Through) Women's Lingerie " 4nursinguniforms.com ****************************************************** Nursing Chat, Nurse Discussion Forums: http://nursingdiscussions.com ****************************************************** The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Internet Street Address of this page is http://www.nursefriendly.com/nursing/nursing.shortages.short.staffing/australia.australian.htm Created on August 30, 2000 Last updated by Andrew Lopez, RN on Monday, March 5, 2018 This Page is Part of The Nursefriendly National Nursing A To Z & Consumer Health Directories We are Incorporated in The State of New Jersey, under the name: Nursefriendly, Inc. 38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua, New Jersey (NJ) 08051 Our Phone #: 856-415-9617 This website Is © Copyright 1997- 2023, Andrew Lopez, RN, Nursefriendly, Inc. 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