Post by CrashSo here we have nurses graduating (from un-named sources) and Health
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/535049/half-of-nursing-graduates-miss-out-on-job-offer-from-te-whatu-ora?cid=newsletter
There are a number of issues that RNZ does not address in this
article, such as who is offering this qualification and what is the
connection between student numbers and Health NZ employment on
graduation. While Health NZ is a large employer of nurses, there is
no mention of employment of graduates in General Practices, Palliative
care (Hospices) or any form of medical care other than aged care.
Health NZ, along with all other employers of nurses, does not have an
unlimited budget to employ all-comers. It would be a shame though if
some graduates were forced to move offshore for employment on
graduation.
It is vocational training; similar to that for teachers - a long time
ago both were largely done through on the job training, with some
academic components. Now most get a degree which may include quite a
bit of what used to be in specific courses, but there is also still
some training through placements. The number of students is to an
extent able to be managed - I know there used to be subsidies to
encourage ''country service'' for teachers, and similar on the job
training positions for nurses.
What appears to have happened is that despite encouraging higher
numbers to undertake nursing training (Covid had for example burnt off
quite a few), we also recruited many trained nurses from overseas -
many went to lower paid aged care positions, but are now moving to
hospital nursing positions.
But this is a time when many nurses are still very stressed, and more
nurses are urgently needed, but the government has cut off recruitment
to hospitals, as well as not allowing nurse pay to keep up with
inflation. I suspect partly this is so that we get used to overseas
nurses at lower pay - tough luck to New Zealanders!
The end game appears to be to encourage nurses to seek jobs in private
health facilities, leaving public health organisations starved of
staff so that it will be easier to privatise, but at this stage it
just seems yet another part of the heartless approach to all aspects
of health in the name of cost cutting.
Try to stay healthy for the next five years - it will take a few years
for a new government to be elected and make progress on reversing the
lower standards of the current government . . .