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A new survey of Australian primary healthcare nurses has revealed that many feel they are under-utilised and could be making a greater contribution.

The APNA/Health Professionals Bank Workforce Survey involving 2052 primary healthcare nurse respondents聽found that 1 in 4 felt they were not only under-utilised but could be doing more to maximise their skillset.¹

Published in , the survey also revealed that of the nearly 50% who suggested to their employer they could undertake more complex clinical activities, less than half were permitted to do so.²

The survey findings have been released to coincide with the launch of Health Professionals Bank 鈥� dedicated exclusively to nurses, midwives, healthcare professionals and their families.

(APNA) President Karen Booth, Sydney, said nurses and midwives utilised to their full potential can promote good health, wellbeing and equitable access to health services for themselves, their colleagues and the broader community.

鈥淗aving primary healthcare nurses working to their full scope of practice as part of an interdisciplinary team can enable more integrated, efficient and accessible health care for all Australians,鈥澛燘ooth said.

Nurses and midwives represent Australia鈥檚 largest, single healthcare profession comprising approximately 400,000 nurses, 27,045 nurse midwives and 5141 midwives.^3,4 Yet our nation is facing a potential nursing shortage with the departure and retirement of the existing nursing workforce, poor retention rates and population health trends.⁵

鈥淣urses are Australia鈥檚 unsung heroes and work tirelessly to provide the best quality patient care for our community. The nursing profession is highly skilled and ready to tackle Australia鈥檚 healthcare challenges, so it鈥檚 vital nurses and midwives are enabled to reach their full potential at work,鈥� said the General Manager of , Carolyn Murphy, Melbourne.

鈥淭here is currently no clear professional pathway for nurses in primary health care, noting 64% of our survey respondents lacked a written professional development plan²,鈥� Booth聽said.听鈥淔urthermore, 44% of the respondents reported feeling isolated, or lacking the necessary support from their colleagues to optimally perform their roles.² This may be further compounded by a reduction in formal career planning and support.鈥�

Health Professionals Bank takes into account the unique features of this key workforce, such as their penalty rates and public service salary packaging arrangements. As an alternative to the big four banks, customer-owned Health Professionals Bank is part of Teachers Mutual Bank Limited, one of Australia鈥檚 largest mutual banks.

It will focus on socially and environmentally sustainable banking, re-investing profits to provide competitive products and services, and benefit the community.

If you鈥檙e a nurse, midwife or healthcare professional wishing to join Health Professionals Bank or to learn more, visit .听

References

1. Booth. K. 2019. Valuing our primary health care nurses. MJA Insight, March 11, 2019.

2. APNA/Health Professionals Bank Workforce Survey. (2018). For primary health care nurses.

3. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, Snapshot of nursing in Australia. Available at: [Last accessed March 2019].

4. Health Workforce Australia, Australia鈥檚 Future Health Workforce 鈥� Nurses. Available at: [Last accessed March 2019].

5. Holland PJ, Tham TL, & Gill FJ. (2018). What nurses and midwives want: Findings from the national survey on workplace.

6. Roy Morgan Image of Professions Survey 2017. Available at: Last accessed February 2019.

Image credit: 漏stock.adobe.com/au/Syda Productions