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BIG DEMAND FOR NURSES By Lawrence JohnstonNURSES and doctors continue to be badly needed in New Zealand. There was plenty of evidence of that at last month's Opportunities New Zealand Expo in London. Former nurse Prudence Shaw, who runs the Accent Health Recruitment agency said she had up to 250 such posts to fill, and that there were likely to be many more to fill when she returned to Christchurch, South Island following her three week recruitment drive in the UK. In demand are clinical nurses and doctors and allied health workers, but they shouldn't be too specialised. "Just looking at New Zealand's patient population, if for example we had a paediatrics orthopaedic nurse who only knew how to fix bones in babies, there'd only be a certain number of jobs for them in New Zealand. We're looking for good generalist flexible candidates," she said. Accent are looking for generalist medical and surgical nurses, with operating theatre, mental health and emergency nurses most in demand. And its much the same with doctors. "A year ago we were approached by a general surgeon, who at 57 was way over the age limit for realistic approval for skilled migrant category residency. But his skills were so badly sought after that we managed to obtain a dispensation from the Immigration Minister and he is now doing an invaluable job in Invercargill at the southern tip of South Island," Ms Shaw said. There is demand in rural areas as well as in the large teaching hospitals. A nurse's salary in New Zealand is around NZ$ 50,000 to NZ$ 55,000, which is less than in the UK, but many of those who migrate are attracted by New Zealand's lifestyle. Doctors earn NZ$ 150,000 and in some cases more. Also the opportunity to migrate there can come quite early in a candidate's career. Nurses need a minimum six months experience, and doctors need to have completed their training. "It's ideal to have consolidated post graduate experience in your country of training if you want to practice in New Zealand. Having worked as a nurse in the UK, the Middle East and in New Zealand, Ms Shaw said that for some aspects of the health service, technology in New Zealand is more advanced. "For example, in operating theatre we're often able to trial more advanced and more recent equipment because decision making is not so hidebound by bureaucracy. We tend to have less people trying to reach a decision on committees so some of our private practices can go ahead and work with equipment that perhaps is not being used in England. "If you want an X-Ray you order it and you get it. If you want blood results or a full blood count you order it and you get it on the day," she said. Also, due to the smaller size of the New Zealand health service, Ms Shaw said New Zealand nurses have more direct patient contact. |
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