It is no surprise that the COVID pandemic has produced seismic changes for the healthcare industry and the nurses on the frontline of it. But what are the nursing and healthcare trends for the next 12 months? According to the Nursing and Midwifery Federation, the pandemic has put nurses under enormous pressure, and there has been a huge increase in the number intending to leave the profession. But even if governments invest in training more new Nurses now, it will take at least three years for them to become Registered Nurses, and they will be novices who will need time to be able to step into the shoes of their more experienced colleagues who are leaving right now.
The issue is exacerbated by the fact that the world entered the pandemic with a shortfall of up to six million nurses and an additional four million expected to retire by 2030, which puts the global nursing workforce under an intolerable strain. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) says large numbers of experienced Nurses are leaving the profession or considering calling time after the pandemic, which should be a wake-up call for governments to invest in nursing jobs, education and leadership before it is too late. Additional study in the nursing area can enable workers to develop advanced knowledge and skills that can accelerate their leadership roles.
The shortage of qualified nursing professionals in the Australian labour market and the increased teamwork and collaboration required between Nurses and other medical professionals means that there are growing leadership opportunities for workers to progress towards more senior roles in the nursing area. Organisations highlighted a number of direct benefits from employing postgraduate-trained nurses and midwives, including improved critical thinking skills, a greater capacity to manage complex care needs, the ability to guide other staff, and knowledge of evidence-based practice and research and how these can impact patient outcomes (Darcy Associates Consulting Services, 2015).
As we emerge from the pandemic, there are still pre-pandemic issues that need to be addressed. A recent report by Deloitte stated that a growing chronic disease burden means that there will be further needed for Nurses to be better utilised in specialist roles. They report that the nursing workforce is expected to see stronger growth than the Australian labour force as a whole, where employment is forecast to grow at an average of 1.5% per annum over the next five years as opposed to a projected 2.8% for nursing.
Also, the nursing workforce is expected to see stronger growth than the Australian labour force as a whole, where employment is forecast to grow at an average of 1.5% per annum over the next five years.
The report summarises that population is ageing, and the rising morbidity of chronic disease are contributing to the growing demand for nursing skills in the healthcare workforce, both in hospital and community settings. Also, technological advances are changing the way that nursing care is delivered to patients, releasing constraints on who can deliver care and where it can be delivered. This is expected to drive future growth in the nursing workforce, increasing from 308,000 persons in 2016-17 to 354,000 persons in 2021-22. The average annual income of nursing workers with a postgraduate qualification in Nursing was $95,391 in 2016-17, and this is forecast to rise to $111,235 in 2021-22.
But how has COVID fundamentally changed the nursing and healthcare sector? A recent report by private health insurer Medibank says that COVID has accelerated many aspects of healthcare service delivery – video and telephony consultations, with digital prescriptions, are now firmly part of the system. Remote and in-home care and monitoring is now a real option outside of hospital care. And different parts of the system partnering to provide more holistic health services is gaining momentum.
John Goodall, Medibank’s Group Executive – Technology and Operations, says, “As well, I don’t think the way we work will ever go back to pre-COVID times. We have realised that working remotely has its benefits, but the office environment has its place for collaboration and connection. This thinking applies to the healthcare industry as much as any other industry. Learning from what has worked well, and where we would like more balance, will play an important role as we consider where and how we work in 2021.”
Kylie Bishop, their Group Executive – People and Culture, posited that “The COVID pandemic gave those who traditionally worked in an office a taste of how things can be done differently. It removed the commute to and from work and provided greater flexibility in the day for people to balance their professional and personal lives. Working from home meant that people could meet health and wellbeing goals, eat dinner earlier, and spend quality time with their families.”
There will many changes in the healthcare and nursing sector in the next 12 months. Retaining the most experienced nurses will require bold actions from governments, including making improvements to pay and working conditions, enabling older nurses in particular to have flexible working arrangements, and providing appropriate mental health support to help them deal with the traumas of the past year. There also needs to be tangible encouragement to support the continued growth of new nurses to carry on providing Australia with the essential care it needs as we move forward.
