Up to 200 more places for new nurses on new graduate programmes has been welcomed by nurses’ union NZNO - but its petition calling for places for 100% of graduates continues.
Currently, at least 400 nursing graduates are known to be still hunting for new graduate placements – about 170 of those have been job hunting since graduating in November.
Health Minister Tony Ryall today announced that the Government would increase the number of subsidised places on formal new graduate programmes from current maximum of 1100 to up to 1300 for 2015. The extra $2.8 million announced is an average subsidy of approximately $14,000 per graduate. Forty of the extra placements are to be offered in residential aged care which can be eligible for a higher subsidy.
On July 21, after the news was released that 400 new graduates had missed out on mid-year new graduate programme places, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation launched a petition calling on the Minister to fund 100 per cent of new nurses into new graduate programmes. As of 5pm today, the petition had more than 7000 online signatures.
Hilary Graham-Smith, NZNO associate professional services manager, said it was really pleased with the additional 200 places for next year but it still wanted places funded for 100 per cent of new graduates. She said NZNO would continue collecting petition signatures until around August 10 and it planned to present the petition to the Minister later in August.
“We’re saying ‘thank-you very much we’ll take that (the extra 200 places), but don’t think that the conversation is over,” said Graham-Smith.
A further pool of new graduates is due to graduate in November on top of those currently job-seeking.
“We can’t project whether the additional number of places will make a significant dent in the talent pool.”
In 2013, nearly 1100 graduates found placements in government-subsidised NETP (nursing entry to practice) or NESP (mental health) new graduate programmes, and it looks like a similar number will gain places in 2014.
That number fell well short of the 1500 new graduates (not including those who applied twice) who sought positions in NETP and NESP programmes for 2014.
The extra NETP places, which bring the maximum number of places on offer to 1300, is likely to fall far short of the number of new graduate registered nurses (RNs) ready to enter the workforce in 2015.
Graduating classes have been steadily growing in recent years, as nursing schools boost student numbers to meet projected long term demand, with a record 1788 new RNs in total registered in the 12 months to March 31 2014 (plus an additional 120 new enrolled nurses). That number was up on 1639 new RNs the previous year and just short of 1400 the year before that.
Of the than 1300 students (1312) that graduated in November 2013, about 13 per cent are still known to be job hunting for a new graduate place in late July after 171 were unsuccessful in their second attempt to gain a place during the midyear ACE graduate placement round.
But the Minister has also announced an easing of the rule that used to prevent new graduates applying for NETP positions beyond a year after graduation; unemployed nurses can now apply up to two years after graduation. Unsuccessful November 2013 graduates can now apply for a third attempt when applications open again on August 15.
You can click here to view petition
