❓ Opposition questions the Health Minister regarding nurse employment after graduation, citing a potential contradiction between reported shortages and placement difficulties. The Minister acknowledges placement challenges but commits to finding positions for WA graduates.
AnsweredQoN 764Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NURSES — JOB OFFERS
I refer to reports this morning from the Australian Nursing Federation that nurses have been told that they will not be receiving job offers following their graduation this year and to a statement by the minister to The West Australian earlier this year that we desperately need nurses and that he has to do everything he can to ensure that wages and conditions are satisfactory. (1) Is there a current shortfall in nurse numbers in Western Australian hospitals, and can the minister quantify the number? (2) Will the minister please explain how many nurses and what proportion of nursing students will be offered positions at the end of this year? (3) If there is a nursing shortage, why has the ANF reported that 300 graduates have not found placements? (4) Will the minister confirm that all graduating medical students have been guaranteed employment? Dr K.D. HAMES
I refer to reports this morning from the Australian Nursing Federation that nurses have been told that they will not be receiving job offers following their graduation this year and to a statement by the minister to The West Australian earlier this year that we desperately need nurses and that he has to do everything he can to ensure that wages and conditions are satisfactory. (1) Is there a current shortfall in nurse numbers in Western Australian hospitals, and can the minister quantify the number? (2) Will the minister please explain how many nurses and what proportion of nursing students will be offered positions at the end of this year? (3) If there is a nursing shortage, why has the ANF reported that 300 graduates have not found placements? (4) Will the minister confirm that all graduating medical students have been guaranteed employment? Dr K.D. HAMES
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
(1) Is there a current shortfall in nurse numbers in Western Australian hospitals, and can the minister quantify the number? (2) Will the minister please explain how many nurses and what proportion of nursing students will be offered positions at the end of this year? (3) If there is a nursing shortage, why has the ANF reported that 300 graduates have not found placements? (4) Will the minister confirm that all graduating medical students have been guaranteed employment? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
(2) Will the minister please explain how many nurses and what proportion of nursing students will be offered positions at the end of this year? (3) If there is a nursing shortage, why has the ANF reported that 300 graduates have not found placements? (4) Will the minister confirm that all graduating medical students have been guaranteed employment? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
(3) If there is a nursing shortage, why has the ANF reported that 300 graduates have not found placements? (4) Will the minister confirm that all graduating medical students have been guaranteed employment? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
(4) Will the minister confirm that all graduating medical students have been guaranteed employment? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
(1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
(1) Is there a current shortfall in nurse numbers in Western Australian hospitals, and can the minister quantify the number? (2) Will the minister please explain how many nurses and what proportion of nursing students will be offered positions at the end of this year? (3) If there is a nursing shortage, why has the ANF reported that 300 graduates have not found placements? (4) Will the minister confirm that all graduating medical students have been guaranteed employment? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
(2) Will the minister please explain how many nurses and what proportion of nursing students will be offered positions at the end of this year? (3) If there is a nursing shortage, why has the ANF reported that 300 graduates have not found placements? (4) Will the minister confirm that all graduating medical students have been guaranteed employment? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
(3) If there is a nursing shortage, why has the ANF reported that 300 graduates have not found placements? (4) Will the minister confirm that all graduating medical students have been guaranteed employment? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
(4) Will the minister confirm that all graduating medical students have been guaranteed employment? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
(1)-(4) I am happy to answer the last part of the question first: yes, I can say that is what we have done. It is essential for medical students, as they graduate, to work through public hospitals because it is part of their training. They cannot practise until they have done at least a first-year residency, and preferably a much longer time. I do not have all those figures. I should have brought them in, I know. They are in my office, and I am happy to show the member later. I know roughly what they are. We have had a problem as our hospitals have been unable to take in large numbers of nurses. As members know, somewhere in the order of 800 nurses graduated in the past year, and about 750 of those nurses have applied for positions in the state hospital system. It is true that we are not able to employ them all immediately, starting at the beginning of next year, largely because we are full up. Why are we full up? In the calendar year from August to August, we employed about 700 additional nurses in our hospitals. Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
Mr R.H. Cook : So there is no shortage? Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been given the figures; my office was quick with these figures! I said that there were 750 applications, and the figures show 745 applications were received. The question is how many of those are employed. So far 525 of those nurses have accepted positions and a further 50 have been offered positions, and we expect to confirm their appointments to come into the system. That leaves 104 nurses who are international students, who came here to train, who do not have positions. Therefore, 50 students have not yet been offered positions and we are not in a position at this stage to offer them positions. We had 700 new nurses coming in. However, we have had a major reduction in the number of resignations from the system, partly because the previous government had offered permanency of position to nurses as part of a commitment to attract nurses. A large number of nurses took that up. That was a good initiative, but we have a change in the pattern of resignations. Normally, throughout the system we would have 117 resignations a month, which enables a continuous replacement of nurses. That has dropped to only 50 resignations a month in July this year. That is a significant reduction in the number of nurses resigning, partly because of being offered permanency and partly because of economic circumstances, particularly superannuation payouts and the net result that people’s superannuation payouts have been reduced and people want certainty and want to stay within the system. I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
I asked Catherine Stoddard, when she is doing a radio interview today—I also intend to do that today—to give a commitment to those 50 Western Australian nurses who have missed out on positions, not the international nurses, that employment within the health system will be found for them. As nurses resign over the next year, they will be replaced by those new graduates. Those graduates will be given positions within the system. I am happy to give my commitment to that. It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
It is a little like teachers: not all teachers are employed within the education system on graduation. Those who do not find immediate employment are fitted in throughout the year and are given every opportunity to gain employment. It is important for nurses. It is just as important for nurses as it is for doctors to make sure that they get work within the health system to further the education they get at university. Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
Mr R.H. Cook : Will you table that document? Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Yes, sure. I guess I could, although I do not think I quoted from this.
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