Former White House health policy adviser Zeke Emanuel has hit on a staggering comparison to illustrate the inefficiencies of the predominantly privatised American healthcare system compared with the publicly funded European health care systems.

‘The United States spends on health care alone what the 65 million people of France spend on everything: education, defence, the environment, scientific research, vacations, food, housing, cars, clothes and health care.

In other words, our health care spending is the fifth largest economy in the world.’ (France has the fifth largest economy in the world, with a gross domestic product of nearly $2.6 trillion. In 2010, the United States spent $2.6 trillion on health care.)

For more than 30 years, US health care costs have been growing 2 per cent faster than the country’s overall economy.

Emanuel says that if this rate of growth is maintained, health care will be roughly one-third of the entire economy by 2035 – one of every three dollars will go to health care – and nearly half by 2080.

‘The United States spends about a quarter more than countries with some of the best health care systems in the world, like Germany and France.’

Does this comparison surprise you? Why do you think this is?

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Nurses in NSW have fought hard for desperately needed nurse-to-patient ratios, which have now been delivered via set nursing hours per patient day. New funding is available for 1,400 more nurses and midwives to join NSW public health over the next two years.

It means there will be better working conditions and more nurses and midwives in our hospitals – a key ingredient to better patient care.

It’s a great time to go into nursing in NSW, or to come back to it. There are hundreds of new positions available right now.

NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda said, ‘We campaigned hard to win these provisions as part of the Award. It’s time for nurses and patients to start reaping the benefits we have won.’

To find out about jobs which are being offered in the first ward conversions, go to http://nswhealth.erecruit.com.au/

Once there, enter “Nursing” for categories and the appropriate LHD for entities, then hit the Search button.

And of course you can just visit the Nurse Uncut job page (here) to find nursing positions in NSW!

It’s a great time to go back to nursing!

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The continuing global shortage of more than 4 million health care workers is symptomatic of the crisis in health care as essential public health services are reduced, with both health care workers and users suffering its severe consequences.

A direct consequence of this crisis is the exodus of workers from health sector employment, which eventually leads to migration, with workers seeking better pay and working conditions in other countries.

The NSW Nurses’ Association in conjunction with Public Services International (PSI) are undertaking a comprehensive participatory research and mapping of migration in the health and social care sectors. The results will form part of a Global Report on Migration which will be presented at the 2012 PSI Congress.

Did you migrate to Australia to work as a nurse or midwife?

Why?

Was it to take advantage of better pay and working conditions in a different country?

Please leave your comments in the section below! 

Or, if you have 30 minutes to contribute to this very important research, we would love to hear from you. Please email lkremmer@nswnurses.asn.au for more information.

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If organisations want to retain qualified nurses they need to tackle the different work factors that are important to the three key age groups and build on the strong attachment that many nurses feel to the profession.

Those are the key messages to emerge from a large-scale survey of nurses published in the January issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Australian researchers surveyed 900 nurses from seven private hospitals in four states, breaking them down into Baby Boomers (44 to 46 years), Generation X (29 to 43 years) and Generation Y (under 29).

The sample was representative of the nursing population in Australia. Most were women (96%), over 42 years of age, working as Registered Nurses (RNs) and doing between five and eight shifts a week.

“Our findings, which we believe may be applicable to many international hospitals, show that there is no single driver behind nurse retention” says co-author Dr Kate Shacklock, Senior Lecturer in Employment Relations and Human Resources at Griffith University, Queensland.

“Older nurses were more likely to be influenced by a larger number of factors than younger nurses and flexible working arrangements, which have been suggested by some as a possible solution to retention issues, were not deemed significant by any of the three age groups.

“Our findings confirm that there is no single driver behind nurse retention and that further research is necessary. However, one clear message emerges – that nurses feel a strong attachment to healing and to the nursing profession and this is a key factor influencing their intention to continue nursing.

Developed countries around the globe are currently suffering nurse shortages. For example, latest figures show that of the qualified nurses currently working in Australia, only 73% were employed in nursing.

Over half of the respondents (54%) were Baby Boomers, 38% were Generation X and 8% were Generation Y. Seven out of ten (69%) were RNs and the sample also included nurse unit managers, enrolled nurses and endorsed enrolled nurses.

Is your ‘strong attachment to healing’ what keeps you in the profession?

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There were several popular discussions on Nurse Uncut over the year. But these three in particular were hot topics! Did you participate in the discussions? If not, join in now!

APHRA Registration Hassles 

“Is anyone else having problems getting their paperwork for re registration processed with AHPRA? I filled in my forms and sent my money off nearly 3 MONTHS ago and it still hasn’t been processed! I have emailled 3 times and rung them twice (you have to wait on the phone for AGES!!) and I keep getting told the same old story that there is a back log and that we all have 1 month’s grace on our registration date. My one month’s grace will be up in a couple of days and I don’t know what to do next. Suggestions anyone?”  Read the discussions here.

EEN’s What Are We Worth?

“What are we worth I have been an EEN since 1981, working in different areas during this time I have accomplished many skills. For the past 12 years I have worked in an operating theatre. Three years ago I was lucky enough to go to Sydney and complete the Instrument Nurse coars for the EN. Although I feel that I can offer a lot of skills to the area I work in, I am still on the basic pay rate of any other EEN with no experience. It would be nice for EEN’s to be paid appropriately for the skills that they can offer.” Read the discussions and join in here!

Workplace Injury Claims and Compensation

“What constitutes a bogus claim or a genuine claim? I injured myself as a result of an injury at work, but because I never put an incident form in I had to use 5 months of my long service leave to cover time off following surgery. I disputed the refusal of claim but tired of the paperwork after three lots of replies. I think the doctors don’t want to do the paperwork thats the bottom line.”

Read the discussions and join in here!

Check out the Nurse Uncut forum here. It’s a great place to ask advice, share stories, or discuss some of those issues that may have been bothering you!

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Public health system

We didn’t get everything we wanted in our public health system pay and conditions campaign but our achievements were momentous nonetheless.  In many areas the nurse-to-patient ratios/Nursing Hours Per Patient Day achieved were better than those existing in Victoria, which had been our benchmark.

On top of the ratios we won good pay rises of 3.9 per cent, 3 per cent and 2.5 per cent over the next three years. The first pay rise was backpaid to July 2010. The second began in July this year.

Midwives finally got the breakthrough they had long been waiting for with their own tool for controlling their workloads – Birthrate Plus. As the year draws to a close phase 1 has been implemented.

Private hospitals

In February, NSWNA members working for Healthscope private hospitals won a two year agreement with pay rises of 3.8 per cent per year bringing their pay in line with the Public Health system over the course of their agreement. The agreement covers 2000 nurses at 12 facilities in New South Wales.

Calvary Private hospital in Wagga Wagga achieved a 3.85 per cent increase per year over, two years along with improved maternity leave and other conditions. St John of God Private Hospital members also celebrated a 3.8 per cent pay rise and a three year agreement.

In March, Shellharbour Private Hospital members won a 13.5 per cent pay rise over three years – their first pay increase in three years.

In August, nurses at Macquarie hospitals took industrial action – a first for private hospital nurses – against a particularly recalcitrant employer.

Defend public services campaign

The O’Farrell Government had barely unpacked their boxes in their plush new offices following the March state election when they set about attacking public sector wages and conditions.

The government passed new laws that cap wage increases at 2.5 per cent – effectively a cut in real wages. These new laws shift power massively towards management during negotiations for public sector wages and conditions. They reduce the IR Commission to a rubber stamp for government wages policy.

Nurses in NSW disability services were immediately affected, but all nurses in the public health system will be impacted when the award comes up for renewal in mid-2013.
12,000 rallied outside parliament on a rain drenched day immediately after the laws were passed. The government was given notice that this was merely a start to a longer campaign when nearly 40,000 turned up for a second rally in the Domain on 8 September.

Aged care

There was good news and bad news for nurses in the Productivity Commission’s report on aged care. Finally there was recognition of the need to fix the wages gap between aged care and public hospitals and improve staffing and skill mix in the sector. The timeframe to fix these issues was disappointing however.

Aged care nurses and supporters shifted their focus to the federal government and piled on the pressure with visits to federal MPs asking them to sign a pledge to support aged care reform. Postcards were send to the Prime Minister and the community were involved through stalls, petitions and the Because We Care website.

A new agreement struck with Aged Care Services representing employers in the
not-for-profit aged care sector, gave nurses a minimum 3 per cent wage increase. For the first time the agreement states that Assistant in Nursing wages be at least 3.5 per cent above the Nurses’ Award minimum rate.

NSWNA film festival

The NSWNA Film Festival was, again, a showcase for budding nurse filmmakers. This year’s festival threw up a number of interesting, and often moving, short films that provided insight in to the world of nursing.

What were the highlights of 2011 for you?

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It’s the end of another year!

We’ve had some fantastic blogs, comments, and forum discussions on Nurse Uncut and we’d like to thank each and every one of you for contributing to making Nurse Uncut one of the best online community sites for Australian nurses.

We hope you’ve enjoyed being a member and sharing the tips and advice, good news stories and opinions on topics close to your hearts.

A highlight for us was reading all the reasons nurses have stayed in nursing in our Christmas Contest.

We hope all our readers and members have a fun, safe, and relaxing holiday period and we look forward to hearing from you all again in the New Year!

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There were several popular blogs on Nurse Uncut over the year. But these three in particular attracted a lot of comments. Did you read them? If not, we encourage you too now and leave your say in the comments section!

Return to Nursing? Not at $10,000!

We are forever being told, there is a ‘Nursing Shortage’, and both State and Federal Governments talk about getting nurses back to work…

Well, our new National Registration body is referring former Registered Nurses to a leading NSW supplier of Nurse Education to do an eight week “Assessment of Competence” course, which requires the nurse to work for 150 hours FOR NO WAGES.

And if that’s not outrageous enough: The cost is $10,000! 

Read the blog here.

The Future of the RN Series

RN and NSWNA member Jennifer Tuckwell, wrote a series for Nurse Uncut on ‘The Future of the RN’.

As a registered nurse of many years who has witnessed what I could only describe as ‘the erosion of the nursing role’, I have a need to question the path that the current education of nurses is taking us.

From what I am witnessing, and on examination of the current education on offer, I ask ‘why’ and does it meet, evidence based best- practice? I think not.

The inadequate clinical preparation and the underlying educational directive of specialisation for the undergraduate, is one of the reasons for the inability to retain our graduates. 

You can read the three part series here.

Frustration Over New National Registration – APHRA

Nurses have written to the NSW Nurses Association expressing their confusion over the new registration guidelines.

Confusion includes lengthly delays in renewing registration, frustration with the amount of paperwork necessary to be filed, and anger with delays in the returning of phone calls and emails.

As a response, we decided to do a series on the new National Registration guidelines discussing the changes and asking for feedback from our readers. You can read the series and feedback here.

Check out the blogs and leave your comments below!

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Ongoing attacks on the nursing profession by Governments across Australia have been reflected in the results of a new workforce survey currently being conducted by the Australian Nursing Federation.

In Victoria, nurses and midwives continue to fight to protect cuts to crucial nurse-to-patient ratios; in NSW, nurses and midwives are among public sector workers affected by new anti-worker laws; in Tasmania, nurses and midwives are facing massive spending cuts to the health Budget and in South Australia, nurses and midwives have been fighting alongside other public sector workers to maintain entitlements like long service leave.

At the Federal level, the Gillard Government is also being called upon to inject $500 million in to aged care to close the wages gap being experienced by low-paid nursing and care staff across the sector.

Nurses in aged care earn between $168 and $300 a week less than nurses working in the public hospital system, at a time when Australia urgently needs 20,000 extra nurses to meet the challenges of our fast-growing ageing population.

“The nursing profession has become the victim of increasing attacks on working conditions from Governments across the country,” ANF Federal Secretary, Lee Thomas, said.

“Clearly, it’s now taking its toll on nurses, midwives and AINs, who are on the frontline of health care for the community.”

The ANF launched the on-line survey on December 1, posing the question, “Do Governments undervalue the role of nurses in Australia?”

After just four days, 100 per cent of nurses who have taken part in the poll have responded in the affirmative!

“The ANF’s survey has only been running for under a week, but already, every respondent agrees that Governments are undervaluing the role of nurses,” Ms Thomas added.

The new ANF survey coincides with a warning from Health Workforce Australia that nurse numbers were in danger of being “rolled-back” unless more was done to make the profession more attractive.

A national survey of nurses conducted by Monash University also revealed how nurses were disheartened by their every-demanding workloads due to a lack of nurse numbers. According to the researchers, 15 per cent of those surveyed were “likely to leave the nursing profession during the next year.”

Do you feel undervalued by the Government? Do the survey results surprise you?

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The closing date has been extended to - Friday 16th December 2011.

We are seeking expressions of interest from mental health nurses who wish to further their professional and career goals by undertaking an innovative work experience program under the guidance of an experienced mentor.

Any mental health nurse who believes they or their service may benefit from the experience is welcome to apply.

If you know any mental health nurses who may benefit from this exciting initiative, please encourage them to apply before this final closing date.

Priority will be given to mental health nurses with less than 2 years experience who currently work in public mental health services in rural or remote locations in NSW.

The program offers for up to 20 successful applicants the opportunity to:

• Work with a mentor in an LHD other than their own for up to 5 consecutive days to pursue employment and career goals, e.g. within an inpatient mental health unit, a community-based service, Specialist Mental Health Services for Older People or an Emergency Department
• Have their air/rail transport, accommodation, meals and local travel expenses paid
• Have their position back-filled up to a total of $1500 (paid directly to the employing LHD) (The hosting LHD will also receive a small contribution to assist with the mentoring costs).

The program was developed in recognition of Mr Bob Fenwick’s long service to mental health nursing and the important role he played in mentoring less-experienced mental health nurses. Mr Fenwick was tragically killed in a work-related incident at Bloomfield Hospital, Orange NSW, in January 2011.

The application information can be downloaded from the NSW Nurses Association website or via this link.

The Mentee Information Booklet and the Mentee Expression of Interest Form can also be accessed via the following links:

Mentee Information Booklet 2011 (166kb)
Mentee Expression of Interest Form 2011 (263kb)

If you require more information or need assistance with the Expression of Interest form, please don’t hesitate to contact the Program Manager Marc Hopkins or Mary McLeod on: Metro: (02) 8595 1234; Rural: 1300 367 962, or via email mhmgrant@nswnurses.asn.au

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