16 July 2010
Territory nurses and midwives are more likely than ever before to keep working in the NT rather than pursue work opportunities elsewhere, according to a new study of the NT nursing workforce.Welcoming the findings of the Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Data study, Dr Greg Rickard, DHF's Principal Nursing Adviser, said that at the end of May 2010 the annual turnover rate for nursing staff had dropped to 28 per cent, five per cent lower than at the start of the year.
"This is the first time the turnover rate has ever been brought below 30 per cent, and it's an achievement to celebrate," Dr Rickard said.
"The excellent nursing and midwifery retention figures show that Territory nursing staff derive real satisfaction from their clinical work as well as relishing the Territory lifestyle.
"The ultimate beneficiaries are our patients, who continue to speak very highly of the nursing staff with whom they come into contact."
Dr Rickard said the NT now employs 2035 full-time equivalent nurses who work in the Territory's five hospitals as well as in community health centres and remote health settings.
"Over the past two years our national nursing recruitment campaign has focused on promoting the attractions of working and living in the NT. This effort has been largely web-based and undertaken very economically. These latest statistics show that the campaign is really paying dividends."
Dr Rickard, an Associate Professor and Co-Director of CDU's Graduate School for Health Practice, added that the success in recruitment and retention is due to more than good marketing.
"You don't keep people in their jobs just by telling them that the work is rewarding, or that they are having a good social life. These things have to be true, and in the NT they certainly are.
"Nurses and midwives are made to feel welcome upon their arrival in the Territory, and they quickly settle into the community. In the workplace they are well mentored and supported to further develop their clinical skills and cultural familiarity.
"Like the rest of us, our nurses travel to some amazing places in their free time, and have experiences they will cherish for a lifetime. I have no doubt that this combination of work and leisure opportunities has helped boost the strong workforce retention figures that we are now seeing," Dr Rickard said.
Media contact: Robin Osborne, DHF Director of Media, 0488 692 781
