This survey research is being carried out by the NSW Nurses’ Association in conjunction with Public Services International (PSI), the global federation of public service unions.

The research is part of a global project on the international migration of health and social care workers. In Australia we want to collate evidence from health and social care workers about migration experiences. We are carrying out this research because we want to improve the experience of nurses that migrate.

We are also concerned to make sure that migration takes place through ethical recruitment procedures, which ensures that migrants are properly informed about the job they are being recruited into.

We encourage you to look over the questions below and leave your responses in the comments section below. You can complete the questions anonymously.

What is your view of the value of overseas nurses in Australia today?

How do you believe overseas nurses contribute to quality patient/resident/client care?

What do you believe are the challenges facing overseas nurses while working in Australia?

How would you suggest these could be addressed?

Do you think that overseas nurses experience equal opportunities and conditions of employment as other Australian people? Please elaborate on this with regard to pay, working conditions, opportunities for career development etc.

If you would like to fill out a full survey (there is a survey available for migrant nurses and one for nurses who have been educated in Australia) please email lkremmer@nswnurses.asn.au

Image credit: PSI

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Employers must pull out all stops to protect Australian jobs and not take a gunshot approach to addressing global economic challenges, say unions.

Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) President Ged Kearney said it was becoming too easy for employers to cut jobs in response in response to overseas uncertainty in the economy.

Ms Kearney said today’s announcement that Toyota would cut 350 local jobs was another blow to both the manufacturing sector and to the Australian economy.

“We know this year will be challenging on many fronts because of the instability in the economy throughout Europe and other parts of the globe,” she said.

“Australia is better placed than almost any other developed nation to ride out the challenges from overseas, thanks to the Labor Government’s strong economic management during the Global Financial Crisis three years ago.

“But if employers start slashing jobs at the first sign of difficulty then Australia cannot get through the current challenges unscathed. A strong economy is dependent on jobs growth which will sustain demand.”

Jobs losses hurt families and individuals, they do long-term damage to communities and they blunt the economy.

The reverberations will be felt for a long time to come so employers must think carefully about the long-term consequences of their actions. It is only January and already this year we have heard of around 1000 job losses in the banking sector and ongoing turmoil within manufacturing.

“It is time for cool heads and a considered approach so that Australia can ride out this year’s economic storms in the same good shape in which we survived the Global Financial Crisis.”

What are your thoughts on the job cuts?

Do you know people affected by these job losses?

Is this an answer to global economic challenges?

Source and image credit: ACTU

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Consistent with an increasingly globalised world millions of nurses find themselves on the move.

Sometimes nurse migration occurs within a nation’s borders with nurses migrating from rural to urban areas or from the public to the private sector. Or they may move from the health care sector to the wider health industry, for example from a hospital to a pharmaceutical company.

But increasingly, and for differing reasons, more and more nurses are opting for global mobility. This international migration of nurses is not only greater in scale than in the past it is different in its direction and location.

Traditionally, international nurse migration was from one industrialised nation to another. Irish nurses went to Britain; New Zealand nurses came to Australia.
A recent phenomenon has been the rapid growth in the movement of nurses from developing countries to industrialised countries.

Public Services International (PSI), to which the NSWNA is affiliated, is documenting the experiences of migrant health and social care workers in their countries of origin and their countries of destination.

The research aims to gather evidence to improve international union policies on migration and health care.

PSI recently held a symposium on the plight of migrant nurses, we blogged about Tulia’s migration from Fiji to Australia here.

Are you a migrant nurse? Would you like to tell us your story? Email us at admin@nurseuncut.com.au!

Image credit: NSWNA

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Immigration residency helps with finding work, although the job market has competitive hurdles.

Tulia Nasolo left her home country of Fiji in 2001 with the local degree equivalent, a three-year nursing diploma, and having completed a qualification conversion course and practice in New Zealand. She always had in mind an eventual move to Australia, where she had relatives.

The unrest in Fiji, and the common hope of more opportunity, helped propel her towards Australia with her husband, a telecommunications technician, and young son.

Her story is one of the less troubled of migrant nurses in Australia. The system has worked for her in visa and employment terms, except that permanent work has been harder to obtain in recent years.

For Tulia, work in Australia as a registered nurse has mostly come through employment agencies and her own internet job searches.

She came to Australia in 2002 via Fiji after applying for permanent residency as a family and stayed with a younger sister living in Sydney for a month. She quickly obtained night work as a nurse at Westmead Hospital through an agency. The job, as a surgical nurse, became permanent.

Her husband had to return to Fiji to complete employment obligations and she was left with her son to care for. She worked at Westmead for about three years.

After the couple were reunited, Tulia and her husband moved to Brisbane in 2006 as he searched for a job that equated to his qualifications.

Tulia obtained work in hospitals through an agency during the 18 months or so they were in Brisbane, until both found work back in Sydney.

Tulia now lives in in Sydney’s outer west. She works at a private hospital as a casual.
The days vary, depending on the amount of surgery being done. Tulia has so far been unable to find another permanent job.

She has built wide experience along the way. ‘When something interests me, I want to explore it, I go for it,’ Tulia says. ‘I look out for job interviews, and for jobs with enough work.’

Are you a migrant nurse? Would you like to tell us your story? Email us at admin@nurseuncut.com.au!

Image credit: NSWNA

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On Monday we published part one of Paul’s two-part blog.

Prior to commencing his nursing career Paul Hanrahan was a lecturer at Melbourne University, working across three faculties, Economics and Commerce, Information Communication and Technology; and Education.

Paul chatted to us about why he made the move to nursing, his study and career to date, and what he thinks should be done to attract other men into nursing.

In the course of his work he has found some older patients do not want a male nurse attending to their personal needs or in some cases even bringing in a meal tray.

Paul on his second last placement at Maroondah Hospital - Perioperative nursing, his future focus and interest in nursing for 2012 and beyond in graduate year.

“I sometimes ask is your doctor a male? Females can be doctors and males can be nurses. It’s a professional choice and vocation.”

Paul said nursing is a professional calling that leads to a plethora of occupational opportunities.

“Some males are beginning to discover this but much more could be done in our secondary schools in vocational and workplace careers, education to surface nursing as a viable, interesting and challenging, rewarding vocation.

“The latter is not done and most careers education in secondary schools is still delivered along traditional gender lines, with the token girl surfaced as an electrical apprentice to show how ‘contemporary post modern’ the workplace is, a lot more needs to be done to free up insights and possibilities for nurses/males.”

Mature aged men moving into nursing appears to be on the rise.

Paul said he has never been given a ‘hard time’, but many of his peers and colleagues have asked “why nursing and the loss in income?” My only retort is ‘because I want to’ and my view of many others is many people go through their entire life wondering ‘what if?”, I don’t.”

Paul suspects there are many more nurses out there in the community than in employment. He believes many have left due to the change in workplace/heathcare culture. The total pre-occupation with performance and KPI’s and not on care.

“The preoccupation with the ‘economics of everything’ has resulted in many nurses being disillusioned and have left, too hard, too fiscal and not enough intrinsic reward to continue. Let alone the shocking salaries!”

“The technical aspects have attracted more males into nursing, but I think society still views males as the income providers and unless the salaries increase to perhaps the same levels as a secondary school teacher at least then perhaps more males will not be attracted into nursing.”

Paul says more men need to be encouraged into nursing. Youth, and the community in general, need to be made aware of this as a career vocation, and the potential. There is much ignorance out there about what nursing is, and requires, of people, both young men and women.

What are your thoughts? What is the gender balance in your work place? Would you like to see more males encouraged into nursing?

Tell us in the comments section below!

Image credit: Paul Hanrahan

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Management’s refusal to tackle excessive workloads and overtime has forced worn-out nurses at Lismore Base Hospital to close beds.

Branch secretary and association councillor Gil Wilson said the staff “deserve the biggest pat on the back for the way they have taken care of patients, but sooner or later something’s got to give, and it’s happened.”

Gil Wilson, Lismore Hospital Branch Secretary and Association Councillor

Nurses lifted the bans after management assured the NSW Nurses’ Association that all shifts were filled and casual staff were available to fill any unplanned leave.

However within days staff were again required to work extreme amounts of overtime leading the NSWNA hospital branch to vote to shut beds a second time.

Branch Secretary and Association Councillor Gil Wilson said the hospital entered the winter months with 14 permanent vacancies and 30 to 40 unfilled relief positions.

‘Hospital management insisted on overtime rather than use of agency nurses, and wanted us to wait two months to recruit staff. It was burning people out – they went home fed up every night,’ Gil said.

Gil said some nurses were nervous about the possible impact on the ED but also acknowledged that action had to be taken.

He said the 180-bed Lismore hospital needed another 50 beds to adequately serve the region.

‘The recommended size of an emergency department is one bed per 1000 presentations. We’ve got a 14-bed ED but we had over 30,000 presentations last year.

‘We’ve had instances where seven ambulances are lined up in front of our ED (And patients on trolleys in corridors waiting for beds – for prolonged periods).

‘That level of pressure on beds was always going to present problems for industrial action at Lismore Base, but the nurses nevertheless held their ground.’

Agency nurses rejected

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes wants to know why Lismore Base Hospital management is ready to support overworked doctors but not nurses under the same or greater pressure?

He said union investigations showed hundreds of hours of overtime had been worked in three wards during August.

‘For some reason management refused to use agency staff to do some of this work and take pressure off the exhausted nurses and midwives,’ Brett said.

‘After much delay, management did finally agree to speed up the recruitment process for existing vacancies, but that takes time.

‘In the meantime a stronger casual pool system should be used along with agency staff. Locums are regularly used, at great expense, to help doctors out.’

Why can’t nurses and midwives get the same level of assistance at Lismore?

Image credit: NSWNA

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Prior to commencing his nursing career Paul Hanrahan was a lecturer at Melbourne University, working across three faculties, Economics and Commerce, Information Communication and Technology; and Education.

In this two-part blog series Paul chats to us about why he made the move to nursing, his study and career to date, and what he thinks should be done to attract other men into nursing.

Paul on his second last placement at Maroondah Hospital - Perioperative nursing, his future focus and interest in nursing for 2012 and beyond in graduate year.

Paul said he had always been involved in the ‘helping professions‘ and had an interest in anatomy and physiology and what better combination than nursing, as a means of giving life to these areas of interest and study.

“l also sought a vocation that was more flexible than University lecturing, seeking less time grading and preparing lectures and assignments. Being married with two children this gave me a little more time to collect and drop children off to school and weekend pursuits.”

Also, being in the latter stages of his working life he sought qualifications that would be more portable nationally and internationally. He and his wife wish to work and travel later in life, perhaps in rural Australia or overseas in developing countries.

Paul said he had no idea what to expect working/studying nursing so ‘dipped his toe in’ so to speak and commenced with a Certificate IV in Nursing and became a Division 2 Nurse.

“Once I found out more of what was involved then I commenced study as a division 1 nurse, just completed as of semester 1 this year.”

His Certificate IV was completed with Swinburne University of Technology and Bachelor of Nursing was completed with Charles Darwin University.

“I chose the latter for my degree studies because of flexible delivery systems and the emphasis upon rural, cultural diversity and remote area nursing, and I got to travel to and study in the NT for clinical teaching blocks.”

Paul is currently nursing at an Acute Surgical hospital in Melbourne; a Healthscope hospital called Bellbird. He said the hospital and organisation have been most supportive and encouraging with his degree studies, both financially and roster wise.

He will complete his time with them in February 2012.

“This is sad in one way, they are a very good bunch of people, however, with their advice, wisdom and encouragement I am now moving into a Grad year at Knox Private hospital, another Healthscope hospital specialising in Peroperative Nursing. I enjoy scrubbing a great deal and this is what I want to be, a good scrub, theatre nurse.”

Paul said he enjoys the intense exactness of theatre nursing. The gender balance is a little more 50/50 which “makes for a better workplace as does the diversity in age range (although this is a personal observation and personal like)”, he says.

“In my current workplace – Bellbird – the gender balance would be about 98% female and 2% or less male nurses. Much the same could be said of the patient gender balance also around 90% female and 10% male patients, especially in acute care nursing.”

Paul thinks theatre nursing is one of those areas that attract male nurses. He has also noticed there seems to be more males in Psychiatric nursing also.

“This is a relic of a past culture of nursing that males = physical strength, that which may be required in psychiatric nursing.

“There is a bit of an expectation in every hospital environment ‘get Paul, we need to lift a heavy patient’, ‘get Paul we need to shift a patient up the bed’, ‘get Paul we are having difficulty with an aggressive patient’ people are still ‘shaped’ by cliche understandings of gender and occupational choice; and characteristics.

“I believe a number of patients/and patient relatives think I am gay because I am male and a nurse. I bring out pictures of my wife and children to alter that aberration too.”

Read part two of Paul’s blog on Thursday about what should be done to encourage more males into nursing.

What are your thoughts? What is the gender balance in your work place? Would you like to see more males encouraged into nursing?

Tell us in the comments section below!

Image credit: Paul Hanrahan

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Registered Nurse Greg Cox has an interesting pathway to becoming a nurse, he started out as a police officer but a series of ‘fortunate events and good decisions’, led him into nursing as a profession.

He tells us his story.

Male paediatric nurse on a children's ward.

After 18 years service with the NSW Police Department, Greg left the force when his two daughters came to live with him.

At that time he was stationed at the Prosecuting Section at Redfern Local Court and had just gained entry to the Sydney Institute of Technology to study Law. It was simply not possible for him to work five days per week, go to university three nights a week and try and raise two daughters on his own. He ended up leaving the Force and moved to Maitland where his family was.

He got into nursing almost by complete accident.

“I read an article in the local paper for a Health Care Workers course through Skill Share at Cessnock which I did, then applied for a position as a Trainee Enrolled Nurse at Kurri Kurri Hospital, completed that and was convinced by my tech tutors to apply for university and do my degree.”

On the face of it, moving from a policeman to a nurse seems a fairly radical change, he says.

“I suppose it was. In my case it was a case of having two daughters and having to get a job of some sort which through a series of fortunate events and good decisions, led me into nursing as a profession.

“Some of the things I witnessed and was a part of as a policeman did to a certain extent prepare me for some of the more dramatic events that almost every nurse comes across from time to time. I was no stranger to death and dying or dealing with people associated with traumatic events and in this sense my service as a policeman helped.”

Greg completed his degree in 1994 at Newcastle Uni and was lucky enough to do his post graduate year at the Central Coast Area Health Service which he says was a fantastic experience, doing rotations in most of the specialty areas.

He has worked Med-Sur in Maitland and Newcastle, but for the last 15 or so years he has been in aged care, initially by default, but now by choice. He works permanent nightshift at Garden Suburb ACF which is an 85 bed facility and is part of Uniting Care.

At Greg’s current work place there are two male RN’s and six male AIN’s. Males are vastly in the minority.

In this day and age he doesn’t think it is unusual for men to be drawn into nursing.

“It is a profession with a fine history of service to others and to be part of such a profession is indeed a very fine aim.”

“I richly acknowledge the efforts of the women who have founded this profession and I can see nothing wrong with a male nurse bearing the title of Sister.

“I do not agree with male nurses announcing themselves as “Mr…”. I see the title of Sister as a sign of respect to those women in nursing who have gone before me.”

Greg says there is, without a doubt, a shortage of nurses.

“I follow the campaign that my sisters in the acute system are waging for patient ratios with great interest. At my work place at night we have three AIN’s and one RN to look after 85 high care residents!”

He says we need to encourage more of the right type of people into nursing.

“I have worked with some who will never make good nurses as long as they draw breath. This applies especially to new AIN’s being turned out at great speed by RTO’s with little thought to their suitability for the caring profession – more doesn’t necessarily mean better.

“I don’t know quite frankly how we can encourage more men into nursing. Those who should be drawn into a difficult career will be.

“There can be nothing worse than a nurse, of whatever grade, male or female, who drags themselves through their work day without a certain degree of empathy towards those for whom they care –patients/residents are not commodities, they are real people just like us.”

What do you think of Greg’s career change?

Ask him a question, or leave a comment in the box below.

Image credit: NSWNA

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Luke Laws recently started working in the emergency department of Nepean Public Hospital; he is also studying towards a Bachelor of Nursing part-time through the University of Western Sydney.

Luke was born in Australia and has English and Aboriginal heritage; he had an early start to nursing, after leaving school at year 10 he proceeded to complete the certificate 3 in aged care nursing.

Luke worked as an A.I.N for two and a half years and then proceeded to complete the certificate 4 in nursing (Endorsed Enrolled Nursing) which remains his current qualification.

We spoke to Luke about his experiences as a male nurse, and his thoughts on the nursing shortage.

What is your nursing specialty?

I have worked predominantly in medical aged care and psychogeriatric nursing for the last two years.

In your work place, what is the approx. ratio of male to female nurses?

In the whole hospital, I would say 3 male nurses to 10 female nurses. In the emergency department, I would say 2 male nurses to 10 female nurses.

Do you think there are certain nursing specialties that attract more male nurses?

Yes. There are two main areas that seem to be the most male dominated specialties. They include critical care nursing (Intensive care and emergency departments) and psychiatric nursing (mental health and psychogeriatric departments).

In 2011, do you think it is still unusual for males to be nurses?

No. Every year we see increased influxes of male nurses joining the female dominated field.

Do you think it is more common for mature men to move to nursing after pursuing other careers first?

This is what I am noticing. I am noticing mature aged men (40-50 years of age) entering the profession of nursing. We still do see occasional young new graduate nurses.

In your circle of friends have you ever been given a hard time for being a male nurse?

Not at all, I have received nothing but praise for practicing my profession.

Could encouraging more men into nursing help resolve the nursing shortage?

Undoubtedly there is an enormous nursing shortage. And yes, encouraging more male nurses would definitely take the weight off our poor nurse-patient ratios.

Are male nurses well supported in the workplace, and in NSW?

Yes absolutely. I have also discovered that female nurses feel ‘safe’ and supported with a male colleague on their shift, especially in psychogeriatric and emergency departments where patients can become physically aggressive.

What do you think needs to be done to encourage more men into nursing?

The profession of nursing needs to be marketed to men as a rewarding career. Too often men in general would label male nurses as gay men.

Thanks Luke!

To our female nurses, would you feel safer having a male colleague on your shift in situations where patients can get physically aggressive?

To our male nurses, what do you think needs to be done to encourage more men into nursing?

Let us know in the comments section below!

Image credit: NSWNA

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Tom is a mature aged student at Sydney University, next year he will graduate with his nursing degree and plans to move to a rural hospital as rural health is of particular interest to him.

In Tom’s nursing school, the ratio of female to male students is about 90:10. Tom believes encouraging more men into nursing could help resolve the nursing shortage in Australia.

“(It) could turn the nursing shortage around and provide a diverse work force which would be beneficial to all aspects of nursing.”

A male pediatric nursing on the childrens ward.

We chatted to him about men in nursing and his thoughts on historical stereotypes, his university experience, and path that led him to where he is now.

What led you to this profession?

“I have always had the capacity to care. I was raised in a family that valued being a good person and caring about other people and doing the right thing.

Nursing made perfect sense to me as a career choice I liked the medical environment and professional aspects of nursing. I have always enjoyed people from young to old and I wanted to do nursing 20 years ago (my family could not comprehend why) I had the grades to do anything I wanted but unfortunately I did not have the support to follow nursing and was encouraged to be a doctor.

I knew that I did not want to be a doctor. I did not like their lack of involvement with patients. So I started a veterinary degree that morphed into a business degree and led me to a career in the corporate sales arena.
I decided four years ago it was time to pursue my dreams and I started university studies as a mature age student. This time I am doing exactly what I want to do!”

In 2011, do you think men in nursing are still seen as unusual in that they work in a predominantly female occupation?

“I don’t feel it’s as bad as it was in the past but there is plenty of room for change!”

Are there certain nursing specialties that attract more male nurses?

“I feel mental health is an area more accepting of male nurses— but not all men want to nurse in mental health. I feel male nurses are just like any other nurse they have areas of interest that they want to specialize in that involve all aspects of nursing.”

In the past some men had their masculinity questioned being a male nurse, why do you think this happened and does it still happen?

“Unfortunately lack of intelligence is just as prevalent today as it was in the past. Masculinity comes from with in not by what some one does for a job. Should we be questioning someone’s/ each other’s sexuality in the work place? I think is the question we as nurses should be reflecting on.”

Is there a notion that caring is a difficult task for men?

“No, I don’t feel society feels caring is uniquely feminine ability any more than they believe being a political leader is a uniquely masculine ability.”

What do you think needs to be done to encourage more male students to nursing school?

“Stronger support for men in nursing at the University level and in the work place. Community education via public media would also help to bring this change about. Men make great nurses let’s tell those stories. Nursing is a great profession it should be a choice for all persons no matter what sex they are.”

Thanks Tom, we think this is very true “Men make great nurses let’s tell those stories”. We want to hear from you. Are you a male nurse? Do you want to be interviewed via email? Send us an email and let us know if you are interested: admin@nurseuncut.com.au

Image credit: NSWNA

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