The staffing crisis plaguing the aged care sector could be solved by the national adoption a new placement program, a University of the Sunshine Coast lecturer says according to ABC News.
Senior nursing lecturer John Rosenberg said two out of five nursing students went on to work at the aged care facility after doing their clinical placement there.
"We're all well aware of some of the endemic problems in the aged care sector and certainly the royal commission has told us a great deal about some of those systemic problems," he said.
"Our response is addressing one small part of the problem with workforce in aged care, but it's the bit that we can do.
"We can prepare our student nurses for careers as registered nurses in aged care."
As part of the program, Bachelor of Nursing students in their final year are paired with registered nurses at the aged care facility.
"A lot of people think that aged care is the easy option for registered nurses, but in fact aged care is complex care," Dr Rosenburg said.
"Registered nurses in aged care need a really wide set of skills that they can use in a setting that doesn't have a whole hospital behind it on site.
"They've got to actually be quite autonomous in the way that they work."
Lutheran Services manager Gillian Hyatt said the students helped satisfy a critical demand for registered nurses being felt across the country.
FULL STORY
University program to address registered nurse shortage expands (ABC News)
PHOTO
UniSC nursing student Poonam Chaudhary assessing a patient.(Supplied: UniSC)
