New Zealand doesn’t want its own nurses

Think that New Zealand may have a well organised, first world health system?

You may want to review that opinion after reading this piece from the NZ news site Stuff.co.nz

“Terrifying time to look for work”

Nurses who should be in hot demand are turning an eye to the unemployment queue, with 500 graduates struggling to find work even as a chronic nursing crisis looms.

As of yesterday, just 782 new graduates from a total of 1328 who applied for positions on nursing entry programmes had been offered jobs.

Young nurses say it’s a “terrifying” time to be looking for work, while training institutions and the nursing union say the Government needs to intervene…

Whilst New Zealand’s nurses struggle to find employment and turn to other careers, some hospitals are woefully understaffed (something we’ve been writing about for years). In an example of joined-up thinking gone badly wrong, Stuff reported

Some hospitals are already struggling to cope with current nursing staff levels, with Hutt and Wairarapa among those to introduce “care rationing” – deciding who to look after based on greatest need.

But at the same time, new graduates are struggling to find jobs – and leaving the country or turning to other careers, Massey University school of nursing professor Jenny Carryer said…”

Unfortunately Stuff didn’t bother to find out why Hutt and Wairarapa were having to ration care. Anything to do with chronic under-funding perhaps?

Read Health cuts under National on NZDoctor.co.nz and our Health Wiki. This is one of the many reports it contains

The Head of Wellington’s District Health Board has quit his $430,000 a year job rather than  than make any further cuts that could jeopardize patient care. The opposition party say that that government cuts are pushing the health system to the brink of a financial crisis.

New Zealand immigration still attracting migrant nurses

Paradoxically, despite the cut backs and the oversupply of nursing graduates, nursing still remains on the immigration department skills lists:- Registered Nurse (Aged Care 254412), Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency 254415), Registered Nurse (Medical  254418), Registered Nurse Perioperative (254423). Source Long Term Skill Shortage List.

Migrants are still being asked to pay top dollar for NZ work visas, and presumably NZ Nursing degrees. Meanwhile 500 locally trained nurses, up to their ears in study debts, scratch around for work whilst hospitals ration care. Utter madness.

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