❓ A parliamentary question regarding the recruitment and retention of nursing graduates in WA's public health system reveals difficulties in tracking graduate employment and retention data, and highlights increasing competition for graduate positions.
AnsweredQoN 332Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to to the recruitment and retention of nursing graduates in the Western Australian public health system and ask: (a) what was the number of nurses graduating from Western Australian universities in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012; (b) what numbers of Western Australian nursing graduates were newly employed in the state's public health system in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, and which hospitals were they employed at; (c) what number of nurses newly employed in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 were educated at overseas institutions, and which hospitals are they employed at; and (d) of the above new nursing employees, from each year, how many were still employed in the public health system after: (i) two years; and (ii) four years?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
1 August 2013
Responded by
Minister for Health
Response time
51 days
(a) The number of graduates per course, per year is commercial-in-confidence to the respective universities and not held by the Nursing and Midwifery Office. Precise graduate data would need to be obtained directly from individual universities.
However, given that virtually all registered nurses (RN) graduating from Western Australian universities apply for employment via the Department's
GradConnect
system, the number of registered nurses seeking graduate positions in WA Health each year is an alternative metric for trending the annual number of graduating RN. One caveat; in the years 2012 and 2013, and reflective of similar, if not worse, graduate employment difficulties being experienced in other Australian states,
GradConnect
has begun receiving significant numbers of interstate university graduates seeking employment in WA.
Graduate RN Applications to GNC: 2008 - 2013
2008
RN
2009
RN
2010
RN
2011
RN
2012
RN
2013*
RN
RN graduates who are Australian
residents applying for jobs in WA Health
583
609
724
793
915
1140
International students studying in WA
universities and applying for jobs in WA
Health
included in
above
58
31
22
311
364
Total count of RN graduates applying
583
667
755
815
1226
1504*
*Includes an estimated approximate 200 unsuccessful WA and interstate graduates from 2012 reapplying in 2013.
(b) [See tabled paper no]
(c) This question is unable to be answered with certainty at this time.
WA Health uses Lattice/HRIS to record the details of all employed staff. The HRIS system does not have mandatory fields for details related to which country a staff member gained their primary health qualification.
If the question is seeking to appreciate how many RN graduates from overseas universities were given their initial employment in WA Health, then WA Health seeks to maximise the employment of local graduates who are also Australian residents. Few, if any, international students graduating from WA universities gained employment in the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. International students graduating from WA universities are preferentially employed ahead of graduates from international universities.
Consistent with immigration restrictions on skilled staff, WA Health only employs a limited number of internationally sourced experienced registered nurses for "hard-to-fill" positions that have been unable to be filled by the Australian local market.
(d)(i)-(ii) This question is unable to be answered with certainty at this time.
WA Health uses Lattice/HRIS to record the details of all employed staff. This HR system does not readily allow, , the tracking of tenure of specific sub-groupings of staff, such as former graduates. WA Health can confidently advise that virtually all registered nurse graduates were offered ongoing employment beyond their first (graduate) year in the years 2008 and 2009.
In the years post the Global Financial Crisis, where the general availability of RN increased and, coincidently, local universities began graduating significantly higher numbers of RN, the long-term commitment of WA Health to offer graduates on-going employment beyond their initial one year fixedterm contract has not always been possible.
However, given that virtually all registered nurses (RN) graduating from Western Australian universities apply for employment via the Department's
GradConnect
system, the number of registered nurses seeking graduate positions in WA Health each year is an alternative metric for trending the annual number of graduating RN. One caveat; in the years 2012 and 2013, and reflective of similar, if not worse, graduate employment difficulties being experienced in other Australian states,
GradConnect
has begun receiving significant numbers of interstate university graduates seeking employment in WA.
Graduate RN Applications to GNC: 2008 - 2013
2008
RN
2009
RN
2010
RN
2011
RN
2012
RN
2013*
RN
RN graduates who are Australian
residents applying for jobs in WA Health
583
609
724
793
915
1140
International students studying in WA
universities and applying for jobs in WA
Health
included in
above
58
31
22
311
364
Total count of RN graduates applying
583
667
755
815
1226
1504*
*Includes an estimated approximate 200 unsuccessful WA and interstate graduates from 2012 reapplying in 2013.
(b) [See tabled paper no]
(c) This question is unable to be answered with certainty at this time.
WA Health uses Lattice/HRIS to record the details of all employed staff. The HRIS system does not have mandatory fields for details related to which country a staff member gained their primary health qualification.
If the question is seeking to appreciate how many RN graduates from overseas universities were given their initial employment in WA Health, then WA Health seeks to maximise the employment of local graduates who are also Australian residents. Few, if any, international students graduating from WA universities gained employment in the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. International students graduating from WA universities are preferentially employed ahead of graduates from international universities.
Consistent with immigration restrictions on skilled staff, WA Health only employs a limited number of internationally sourced experienced registered nurses for "hard-to-fill" positions that have been unable to be filled by the Australian local market.
(d)(i)-(ii) This question is unable to be answered with certainty at this time.
WA Health uses Lattice/HRIS to record the details of all employed staff. This HR system does not readily allow, , the tracking of tenure of specific sub-groupings of staff, such as former graduates. WA Health can confidently advise that virtually all registered nurse graduates were offered ongoing employment beyond their first (graduate) year in the years 2008 and 2009.
In the years post the Global Financial Crisis, where the general availability of RN increased and, coincidently, local universities began graduating significantly higher numbers of RN, the long-term commitment of WA Health to offer graduates on-going employment beyond their initial one year fixedterm contract has not always been possible.
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