Return to Practice Website Dedicated to NZ Nurses

Return to Practice Website Dedicated to New Zealand Nurses

A combination of shared stories and hard facts are now available on a website designed to attract and encourage New Zealand trained nurses back into the health workforce.

Just launched, Healthcareers – Return to Health at www.healthcareers.org.nz provides information on approved Nursing Council New Zealand (NCNZ) courses for registered nurses thinking of returning to practice, along with stories and feedback from nurses who have already made the move. The website is part of a 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) collaborative project.

Jim Green, lead Chief Executive for DHB Nursing and Midwifery, says return to nursing programmes offer a supported way for nurses who have used their skills in other fields to return that expertise to the profession and sector.

The project brings together information on competence assessment programmes into a single website as an easily accessible source of information, which could be used as a template for other health professions.

In the past, nurses have found it difficult to get the right information on how to gain a certificate and re-enter the workforce. Return-to-practice (RTP) courses have been offered by a variety of providers including hospitals, DHBs and education providers.

All RTP courses on the website meet the required standards for competence. Candidates can assess the level of programme they need to get their practising certificate, and can find further information by clicking on a course name and transferring to the provider’s website.

Kerry-Ann Adlam, project lead for DHB Directors of Nursing, says nurses can find out about all the options and the website provides them with key questions to consider when making the choices about coming back into the workforce.

The website also shares inspirational stories of how nurses have returned to practice and developed a rewarding career.

“Hearing other people’s stories is a way of helping to reduce anxieties felt after being out of practice for so many years,” says Kerry-Ann Adlam.

Professor Des Gorman, Executive Chairman of Health Workforce New Zealand, says it's essential that we do all we can to build and maintain our nursing workforce. Providing more support and information for nurses thinking of returning to the workplace is key and this web resource will be an important element.

To visit the site and for further information please go to www.healthcareers.org.nz.

ENDS