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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It is very annoying when you constantly come in contact with OS nurses when there are 10s of thousands of nurses in Australia who could still be working in a part time capacity if the health beaurocrats (?) didn’t bully them out of the workforce. It is a national disgrace how nurses are treated. There is no respect at all now and largely because the old salts of the earth have been bullied out. It would be interesting to know the average age of he nurses who attended the Victorian rally’s. I didn’t see many new grads there!!
I’m a bit reluctant to comment in relation to this topic, because there are a number of different perspectives to the issue of migrant nurses working in Australia and I suspect that not all nurses really appreciate colleagues that trained overseas. While migrant nurses bring a unique view re how health services should be delivered, and we can all learn from different ways of doing things, there’s an undercurrent of non-acceptance of oversease trained nurses that makes me uncomfortable because it’s hard enough changing countries let alone dealing with racism in the workplace. Barriers around english language skills can be a sore point, and it would be great if we could find consensus on this issue. With the shortage of nurses in Australia, we willl need to rely on imported nurses, so it would be wonderful to make that a win-win situation. Overall, migrant nurses are of huge benefit to the public health system. What does anyone else think?
Sorry Lisa, I don’t agree with you there.
Firstly, there is no “shortage of Nurses…” in Australia ( especially NSW ). We do not “need” OS Nurses, regardless of how experienced they are. We have enough unemployed Nurses and former Nurses ( thanks to AHPRA ) who WANT TO WORK …
We seem to have this duopoly – those who falsely believe there is a ‘Nursing shortage’, and those who see the truth of the matter. If only more people would defend our the locals first, and place the issues of those from foreign soil second. In other words – we should look after our own backyard first, before inviting the whole street to swim in our pool !!
So what exactly is the truth of the matter Gordo? Does your conspiracy theory include a special chapter on AHPRA’s secret mission to replace all experienced Australian-born nurses with those from foreign soil?
Get over it Gordo. Australia is made up of people who arrived here from somewhere else. Skilled migrants should be welcomed with open arms. Guess what? Most of these “foreign” nurses you want to confer second class status on are Australians, or they soon will be.
Gee Laverne or ‘Ken’, whoever you REALLY are ( how did I know that?),
Are you trying to upset the Aboriginal population now? ( “Australia is made up of people who arrived here from somewhere else ” )
Perhaps you are willing to give up your job for ” … someone else”, but I am not.
… but that’s because you are actually ‘retired’. Isn’t that right Ken?
Hey everyone – this was meant to be a discussion on the value of migrant nurses coming to work in Australia not a debate about whether we should let them in or not. ! I really think the issues impacting overseas nurses are important, but so are the issues impacting our home grown nurses. There are plenty of jobs to go around for everyone, migrant or not.
I’m an Aussie engaged to a Filipina trainee RN. We have been wanting to marry since 2009, and with the national standard required for nurses, it made perfect sense for her to train here – instead of doubling up on training. But the Immigration Dept of this ALP regime with its paranoid xenophobia has now kept us separated for 3 Christmases by cruel, discriminatory and racist rulings… refusing even a short vist to see me. The “delegate” who refused her last time is an immigrant ~ a blow-in from Argentina! She is an excellent and highly regarded nurse, of good character who loves her profession, but the clowns of DIAC insult her and crush our hopes.
Johnno there is a simple response to your problem – why don’t you go and work in the Filipines thereby no problem.
As for Migrant Nurses no problems with them coming over so long as they speak and understand Australian and our nuances with our language – I am currently working with a migrant worker who has worked in Australia for over 20 years and still does not speak or understand what we are saying or so she says so if migrants are to come and work they must at least be able to converse with Australians which would be expected if we worked in their country.
Thanks for your concern ‘nursezilla’, but you’re missing the point completely… The object of this research – in case you missed it at the top of this page – 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.” (It’s not about me going to the Philippines, where work is scarce and wages are a pittance) This Australian regime has NO RIGHT to insult and attack the integrity of my fiancee – a good nurse.