27 October 2008
Nursing shortage
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New research into the nursing workforce shows that 15 per cent of nurses are retiring every five years and more and more work only part-time. One in every two enrolled nurses are dropping out of the job. At the same time one-third of students are not finishing their nursing courses. The reasons for the attrition are harsh working environments and long working hours. Is Australia heading towards a nurse crisis -- have we maybe already hit it? And how can we counteract the nursing exodus?
Guests
Professor Christine Duffield, Centre for Health Services Management, University of Technology Sydney
Barbara Preston, research consultant on workforce issues
Ged Kearney, National Secretary of the Australian Nursing Federation
Associate Professor Sabina Knight, Centre for Remote Health, joint centre of Flinders University and Charles Darwin University
Further Information
Australian Health Workforce Institute
Campaign by the Queensland Nurses' Union
Presenter
Paul Barclay
Story Researcher and Producer
Karin Zsivanovits
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