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There’s a shortage of nurses in Australia and around the world. Between 10,000 and 12,000 new registered nurses are required to graduate each year to meet demand, but only around 6,000 are graduating (Source: Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee).
On top of that, the average age of nurses is now well over 40. Thus, within 15 years huge numbers of the profession will be retiring and the shortage is likely to get worse.
So what does this mean? The good news is that nurses have never been more in demand, and are attracting excellent rates of pay and good conditions. New graduates from universities and TAFEs have between 95 and 100% employment.
You can also easily get a job almost anywhere in Australia and in many countries overseas. It’s also easier for nurses to permanently immigrate to other countries as most governments try to attract more nurses to their shores.
The bad news is that some nurses are overworked. The shortage also means that state governments can’t open more hospital beds without nurses to staff them, so patient’ waiting times are affected. Many hospitals are implementing special programs to help recruit and retain nursing staff.
Find out the current size of the profession.
Excerpt from Career FAQs Nursing
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