Nursing shortage heading for crisis

The shortage of nurses in New Zealand is heading for crisis levels, due to an ageing workforce, graduates heading overseas, and a global nursing shortage, says a nursing workforce researcher.

Dr Annette Huntington from the School of Health Sciences on the Wellington campus says with the average age of nurses at 45, many are approaching retirement.

Australia is aggressively recruiting from New Zealand, with more than 900 nurses heading there in 2003, the most recent year for which figures are available.

It is not known what that figure is now but anecdotal evidence is that it may have worsened. A quarter of nurses from a recent class at Massey University moved to jobs in Australia.

The issue is a global one, says Dr Huntington. “New Zealand nurses are very desirable on the international market.

“New Zealand will continue to lose its qualified nurses to countries with stronger economies and better pay and conditions.

“The issue of whether we can replace them from poorer developing countries is increasingly an ethical debate, when those countries are also facing a shortage and are arguably in greater need.

“Nurses are the backbone of health services. Our 45,000 registered nurses make up approximately 60 per cent of New Zealand’s health workforce.”

Just over half work in district health boards, with the rest in areas such as aged care, primary care, Maori health providers, the prison services, defence and private hospitals.

“Although pay has improved for nurses working in DHBs, it has lagged behind for other nurses.

“We have a small window of opportunity to address the issues before the shortage becomes acute.”

Researchers from the School of Health Sciences are tracking nurses’ health, wellbeing and patterns of workforce participation using on-line questionnaires, in the Nurses’ E-Cohort Study. The study is establishing a database to improve workforce policy and planning, with the aim of encouraging the recruitment and retention of New Zealand nurses.

“Accurate data is essential for the planning and management of the nursing workforce if this pressure is not to overwhelm our health services,” says Dr Huntington.

The Nurses’ E-Cohort Study is a collaborative venture between the University of Queensland and Massey University’s School of Health Sciences.

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