I am advised:
(1) With the increased nursing staff levels arising from the new Nursing
Hours Award, a range of strategies have been employed to attract nurses and
midwives back to work in Hunter hospitals, including:
- A broad scale print and electronic media advertising campaign for nurses
and midwives in mid 2011.
- Promotion of nursing and midwifery opportunities by attending expos and
conferences, such as the Royal College of Nursing Expo.
- Participation in NSW Health's Overseas Recruitment Campaign, successfully
recruiting nurses from Ireland.
- Targeted strategies for recruitment of specific classifications of nurses,
successfully increasing the number of registered nurse positions by 10% between
2011 and 2012.
- Offering cadetships to increase the number of Aboriginal nurses and
midwives.
- Successful participation in a Statewide Scholarship Program for Nurses to
re-enter the workforce after being out of nursing for 5-10 years.
(2) to (4) There is no such program as a compulsory refresher course offered
by the NSW public health system.
NSW Health offers the Nursing Re-Connect initiative to assist and support
currently registered nurses and midwives re-join the workforce. Re-Connect is
available to nurses who have not practiced for 1-5 years and is provided at no
cost to the individual. Information about Re-connect is available at
http:⁄⁄www.health.nsw.gov.au⁄nursing⁄employment⁄
;reconnect.asp
Nurses who have been away from their profession for 5-10 years and do not
meet the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia's recency of practice
standard are required to complete a Board approved re-entry to nursing program
in order to regain their registration.
The Government recently announced 60 $10,000 scholarships over 2 years to
cover the cost of nurses undertaking a re-entry program. Information about
re-entry scholarships is available at
http:⁄⁄www.health.nsw.gov.au⁄nursing⁄scholarships
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