Background

Nursing education is a matter of interest to both State and Commonwealth governments. The initial education and training of registered and specialist nurses is principally the responsibility of universities, primarily funded by the Commonwealth education portfolio. The training of enrolled nurses (known as Division II nurses in Victoria) occurs in the Technical and Further Education Institutions (TAFEs) of the States and Territories. State and Territory governments have a direct interest in their role as the foremost employers of nurses. Nursing workforce issues are matters for the Commonwealth, State and Territory health portfolios. These various responsibilities in relation to education policy, funding and employment all impact on nursing education.

In August 1984, in line with the global movement of preparatory nursing courses into universities, the Commonwealth announced its in-principle support for the transfer of registered nurse preparation from the hospitals into the higher education sector. This transfer was a staged process with different States and Territories changing at different times, but the transfer was complete by the end of 1993.

In 1994, a review of nursing education in Australian universities examined the outcomes of this transition, in particular, the provision of wider professional preparation and increased career choices for nurses. The findings of the review were that the effects of the transfer of nurse education to the universities had been uneven. The review also found that the broader professional preparation of nurses had been an achievement of the transfer, but tensions between this preparation and the conditions of institutional employment existed. Further, there were outstanding issues of the status of nursing in the universities and the relationships between the various stakeholders and their divergent expectations.

Since that review, issues of the nexus between nursing education and the demands of the labour market have become a focus of concern. There appear to be general nursing workforce shortages as well as shortages in some specialist areas. Other factors affecting the nursing labour market include the demands of new technologies; clients’ expectations; status, pay and conditions; and the increasing demand for chronic and disability nursing as the population ages. The reduced level of interest of school leavers in nursing as a career, the cost of nursing preparation, the changing demands of the labour market in terms of the types of knowledge and skills required and the timing and distribution of those needs, create a highly complex relationship between the education of nurses and the labour market. This is an appropriate time to examine these issues through a review of nursing education to ensure that nursing education meets the needs of the changing labour market.

(1) Against this background the Review will examine: the effectiveness of current arrangements for the education and training of nurses encompassing enrolled, registered and specialist nurses; factors in the labour market that affect the employment of nurses and the choice of nursing as an occupation; and the key factors governing the demand for, and supply of nursing educationand training.

The Review will specifically make recommendations on:

(a) models of nurse education and training to meet the emerging labour force, including practical training, processes for articulation between different levels of competency and professional expertise and re-entry into the workforce

(b) the types of skills and knowledge required to meet the changing needs of the labour force involved in nursing, and

(c) mechanisms for both attracting new recruits to nursing including those from different age groups (both male and female) and encouraging the commitment to lifelong learning of those already engaged in nursing.

(2) It is expected that the Review will consider the following wider issues from the perspective of both the health industry and education:

(a) the changing context of nursing and health requirements and the levers influencing these changes, and

(b) the links between nursing, medicine and other groups in the health workforce (including those with no health qualifications) in the provision of health services.

(3) In carrying out its work, the Review will have regard to:

(a) regional needs and circumstances

(b) financing arrangements, and

(c) the work of current research projects and reviews such as the New Zealand review of nursing education, the Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee nursing workforce review, and the British review of funding for nursing.

Reference Group

The following organisations were invited to nominate a representative to the Reference Group to the National Review of Nursing Education:

• Australian Council of Deans of Nursing

• Association of Australian Rural Nurses

• The Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia Incorporated

• Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses

• Royal College of Nursing Australia

• Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council (2 nominees)

• Australian Private Hospitals Association

• TAFE Directors Australia

• Youth Round Table

• Australian Vice Chancellors Committee

• Group of Eight

• Australian Nursing Council Incorporated

• Australian Local Government Association

• Catholic Health Australia

• Aged and Community Services Australia

• Department of Veterans Affairs

• National Rural Health Alliance

• Australian Nursing Federation

• Australian Nursing Homes and Extended Care Association

• Australian & New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses Incorporated

• Australian Healthcare Association

• Consumer Health Forum

• Australian Technology Network

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