Job security luring more students into nursing
Job security has always been a great factor of nursing. In my experiences on the job, it’s pretty rare that a nurse gets fired – you basically have to be grossly incompetent, breach some serious code of conduct or be solely responsible for some dire situation that occurred.
This is not to say that nurses take registration lightly, or become sloppy because of the knowledge that their job is pretty secure.
On the contrary, I think most people are very aware that the threat of litigation and the need to be deemed competent underlies every shift we work, and generally speaking nurses are really very careful with things like medication checks, following protocols and working hard within their level of expertise. They are also very aware that any given situation could potentially end up in court, maybe with no fault at all on their behalf, leaving the nurse to defend or clarify their actions, involvement and/or documentation for a particular situation.
One of the stories that came out of the Sunday Telegraph last month titled Nursing’s a healthy option for students has highlighted what I’ve always felt about nursing – it’s a pretty secure profession. After all, even in times of economic downturn, people want good education and good health care. You can’t really say “well, lets cull a few hundred nurses because they’re costing too much.”
From the article:
“Job security is luring more students into nursing and teaching careers.
University chiefs believe the global financial crisis – and generous new HECS subsidies – have led more students to pursue stable career options.Applications for a nursing degree at the Australian Catholic University in 2010 are up 44 per cent on last year, while education applications have risen 38 per cent.
The University of Technology, Sydney, has recorded similar increases.
An extra 375 students have applied to study the popular nursing program next year, with an additional 99 applying for the teaching degree.
Applications for the two degrees have doubled at the University of Notre Dame.
University pro-vice chancellor and executive dean of nursing Margot Kearns said the global financial crisis seemed to be influencing students’ subject choices.
“In this economic climate, people are looking for a more structured career path,” she said. “With education and nursing, they’re actually professional degrees and vocational degrees.”
“If you do a Bachelor of Nursing, you become a nurse; whereas with some other generic degrees, the actual career paths are not as well-defined.”
Perhaps this is partly a reflection on the current economic situation. Maybe more people are thinking about job security and long term career paths, rather than pursuing other lines of study they may also be interested in. I know that for me personally, I had several interests at the end of high school, and ended up studying a completely different field before my transition to nursing. When it comes to job security, I’m glad I made the move.
Professions like nursing and teaching certainly have the advantage of leaving you with a clear idea of what your job entails. What are your experiences – is job security a factor when considering career choices?
If you’re not sure what nursing is all about, maybe have a read of Should I Be A Nurse? and Good Things About Nursing.
For those interested in nursing, or not sure where to start, I’d also recommend that you check out Nursing in the Australian Health Service.
For Travel and Overseas nurses, don’t even think about coming to Australia without grabbing a copy of Nursing in Australia: A Guide to Working and Living as a Nurse Down Under.
Hi Ross, great blog! I am one of those people who have decided to study nursing next year. I am changing professions and you are quite right that nursing is very attractive because of the job security and clearer career pathway to becoming a registered professional. To be able to become a RN in a few years is a definite plus, after spending the last 10 years studying and working in my current career and still unable to get my registration or a formal title. I also believe with the economic downturn that resulted in loss of jobs or the fear of losing one’s job has lead many to re-evaluate what is important to them, especially things like family and community, where they are in their current career and what they want to achieve. Nurses and teachers are definitely among the people in our community and support systems who we feel we can really rely on. There is a lot of respect for these professions and an understanding that it requires a lot of hard work and responsibilities. To be able to contribute to my community was a big part toward my decision making.
For me it was not a quick or easy decision to study nursing. It is very different from my previous job and to go without a salary for the next two years meant that I had to know I really want to become a nurse. I don’t think that the non-school leavers are choosing to study nursing or teaching simply because of the job security. I am lucky that I decided quite early on in the year to become a nurse so I had already applied and received an offer into my course before the current rush of applications.
Hi Bec,
Totally understand where you’re coming from re: studying & going without pay for that period. I think a lot of people (myself included) have considered going back to study something or other but the threat of being a student / living on part time pay is a big deterrant!! Thanks for your comments….
Hey Ross
Thanks for bringing up this topic! I am a nursing student in Perth and just about to finish my first semester. In October I completed my first clinical placement in a nursing home. I remember specifically on one morning the news paper front page reported a story that Royal Perth Hospital(the biggest hospital in WA) is about to cut 200 staff, mainly nursing. And infront of all the first year students, one of the carers shouted in response to that story, “no.. their not taking new nurses, we’re getting rid of the nurses!”
Now I have to admit that wasn’t exactly very encouraging.
I didn’t chose nursing exactly for the job security, its really good, but I get the feeling that in this economic down turn, even nursing job security is being threatened. One of our lecturer also said that for the first time in his career in nursing, he had graduates who could not find a job. I think its a real shame. I think we do need more competent nurses, but dare I say,as a nursing student, I cant feel very confident about the job security yet. I hope things will get better and the government wont make a sacrifice on this area.
I also hope the people moving into this profession will think about their choice carefully. I do feel you have to have compassion on a certain level to be a good nurse, and not afraid to get your hands dirty. I question and reflect on this about myself constantly in the last 6 months. But I guess feeling a bit pressured about the job security might help push students to study harder and perform better. What is your take on graduates getting jobs? Are they still getting employed easily in Qld?
Steven
Thanks for the post – and for the link to the guide for nurses from abroad! I’m not a nurse yet but I hope to be one soon. Having a concrete avocation that’s challenging instead of a nebulous skill set (IT, marketing, etc) is a huge draw for me.
Hi Steven – Congrats on just about completing the first semester, if you’ve managed to make it through the initial culture shock then that’s a great start! I think if you look at the grand scheme of things, ie comparing with other professions, I’ve always felt quite secure in my nursing jobs. You’re right though, it could change in the future if there are government changes etc.
As far as graduates getting jobs goes, I think that there’s often a large push to be part of a grad program or special grad year. To be honest, while I can see the sense and value in having a year where there is additional support etc through a structured program, I also feel it’s a little over-rated. Basically the important thing is to just get into that first job – after you’ve done 6mths to a year, you can apply to transfer to just about any ward & try new areas of nursing.
Not all graduates get into jobs in the first round after graduation, however the vast majority do. There is always a second round & it would be pretty unusual not to land any job at that stage. I think you have to consider working anywhere to start with, then it’s a lot easier to transfer after you have some experience up. Good luck!
Hi Kim – no worries! Good luck on whatever you end up studying, I can appreciate that it’s a really hard decision!
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