New nurses, doctors for Taranaki
Te Whatu Ora in Taranaki has hired 34 graduate nurses in one of the highest intakes of graduates in recent years.
As well as that, 16 new doctors, also known as house officers, have been recruited and 18 year-five medical students will start their internships as part of their training to become doctors this week.
Gill Campbell, Te Whatu Ora Taranaki interim hospital lead, said it was wonderful to see the range of people that had chosen nursing as a career. The nurses hired range in age from 21 to 50 years.
The past couple of years have been difficult for Taranaki nurses, with vaccination mandates, strikes for more pay and better conditions, lack of parking and increased workloads – with many working double shifts or extra shifts.
In 2021, data showed Taranaki’s hospitals needed 40 more nursing and healthcare workers to ensure safe staffing levels for patients are met.
Taranaki, like other regions around the country, has had a nursing shortage, which has been affecting rest homes as well as hospitals.
Nationally, Te Whatu Ora is actively working to improve staff shortages with initiatives such as its Return to Nursing Workforce Support Fund, which removes financial barriers for nurses who wish to return to nursing but need to complete additional training due to time spent out of the nursing workforce. The fund supports New Zealand-based nurses without an annual practising certificate and overseas nurses working as a healthcare assistant or support worker in New Zealand, by providing up to $5000 to assist with the costs of returning to practice. More than 225 applications had been approved since the fund was launched, Campbell said.
A new funding round recently opened and applications will be reviewed monthly.
‘‘We are very keen to help nurses wishing to return with their applications to join us at Te Whatu Ora in Taranaki. Anyone considering a return can contact the hospital to talk it through.’’
Campbell said the medical students would receive the practical experience required for their degree as well as help medical teams with the high numbers of inpatient presentations Taranaki Base Hospital was continuing to experience.
Once they graduated, they often wanted to return to work in Taranaki hospitals, she said.
In the next two weeks, Campbell also expects 20 new registrars to join them.
Registrars are doctors that are in at least their third year post graduation. Many are participating in specialist training programmes.