EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report was prepared with the aim of serving as a career guide investigation for an international student. The intention was to describe and explain how to seek employment as a healthcare student in Australia after completion of my degree course. It has explained in great detail the labour market in Australia and especially in the healthcare provider sector in which am interested. My target is to join the health sector in the Aged care and care for the disabled category. The report has considered both the short-term and long-term perspectives of this activity.
INTRODUCTION
Purpose of the report
This report endeavours to establish and evaluate career opportunities in the health sector for nursing students with the aim of helping them to be able to access the job market. it is by conducting this research that the past and current trends in the job market will be established with the sole aim of establishing future job opportunities. This report looks at the role of employers in recruitment and how recruitment agencies participate in the provision of employment to job seekers. It will, therefore, bring about a concise and clear understanding of the healthcare sector’s job opportunities. It will also help the student to be able to carry out the process of seeking employment in a strategic and organized way
RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
Labour market trends in the Australian health services industry
This particular section of the paper will delve into the state of employment in Australia and the level at different states.it will provide appropriate detailed information specifically related to the health services sector. And the costs of maintaining health are average compared to other nations in economic cooperation and development organization
National and state employment trends
The people of Australia enjoy a long life expectancy. It is [projected that employment I stop the increase in 16 to close to 20 general industries in the next five years to 2022. Health care is estimated that will contribute the largest employment growth having over 250500 increase.the next sector in growth will be the professional scientific and technical sector with an increase of 126400. other sectors expected to grow include construction, education and training among others. (Labour market information portal 2017)With this projected growth in the health sector then job opportunities for health workers are available.
TRENDS IN NURSING IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
According to Calderwood and Miskelly, there is a major deficit of nursing professionals in New South Wales even with a pool of nurses consisting of 70000 that work full time in New South Wales.ABC news report that NSW will have a deficit of about 8000 nurses by the year 2030. This implies that the sector dealing with the Aged and the disabled will have a severe shortage. (Calderwood and Miskelly 2018). This shows that the nursing profession has lucrative job opportunities available now and in the future. ABS( figures on Australian social trends, more than 62% of the nurses working part-time are aged over 60 years compared to only36% who are aged below 30 years working part-time. (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2018). This shows that young people are required in the profession to replace and complement the ageing population in the nursing sector. It’s important to note that the population of the aged is quite high due to the high lifespan enjoyed by the people of Australia. According to the ANMF, report of the project on the need for a national aged care staffing project report of 2016, the aged population residential care places increased from 134810 in 1995 to 263788 in 2014. (ANMF report, 2016) This means that due to the better health of the population this increase in the aged population will continue resulting in huge demand for a skilled aged care workforce. This report emphasizes the need to bridge the gap between available health workers and the demand, especially for nurses. ANMJ 2017 Editor claimed that they will continue to enhance aged care by providing at least one registered nurse on call 24/7 at all facilities with high-care residents. Aged care nurses are paid 30% less than nurses working public health system and therefore this discrepancy must be eradicated. (ANMJ, 2017)For qualified nurses, the job prospects in Australia are good with a fair wage rate working an average of 35 hours a week. This specifically focuses on the shortage of skilled nurses available for emergency situations hence a good opportunity for a nurse to seek employment. (Mason 2015). For those graduating from the university with a degree in nursing important, they fill this gap in skilled nurses
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE AGED CARE AND DISABLED SECTORS.
According to the Australian government department of jobs and a small business report of 20TH December 2017, in 2016, there 63% of nurses and midwives are employed in hospitals while 13% are employed by residential healthcare facilities. (Department of jobs and small business report 2016)
The report also emphasized that the majority of the nurse’s work is below an average of 35 working hours weekly.
It is noted that the level of advertised vacancies has increased steadily by 6% since 2014. Also, there is an increased in the number of nursing graduates by 32% from 2010 to 2015 meaning there is more competition for those seeking employment.(AIHW 2015)Domestic undergraduates have successfully secured jobs with 82.5 % getting permanent jobs four months after graduating well beyond the set average in other sectors which is 70.9 %It was established that 90% of nursing graduates secured employment in the relevant field of study as compared to 26% from the other fields who were not utilizing their skills in their area of study. (Willis et al 2016, p 4-6)
The bureau also indicated that in 2015, 44% of the unemployed nurses were 35 years and below which could have been attributed to a lack of experience.
In Australia, the population In 2015, the health institute of Australia and Welfare established that 172828 individuals are permanently living in Residential Aged Care (AIHW) and 65% of these people were aged over 85 years while only 4% were under 65 years. (AIHW 2015)This shows that residential aged care is one of the sectors of health that require the skills of a nursing graduate. In this regard, the following organization is well-placed in this sector and would provide an appropriate working opportunity for a nurse.
INTERCULTURAL CHALLENGES
The Australian community has diverse cultural backgrounds as shown by the education report of 2015 which stated that Australian cultural diversity was unique and anti-racism education was not to be taught in schools. (Australian Education Department report 2015).
According to the national bureau of statistics of 2016, an average of 265 of the people in this country were born outside this country. It’s no wonder that the people living in Australia speak more than 200 languages. Common languages include Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese and Arabic but there are more than 50 languages that are indigenous to Australia. (Australian Bureau of statistics 2016) It is, therefore, a very welcoming nation to foreigners who come to study in Australia as they do not face racial discrimination when it comes to employment.
On religion, Christianity comprises 52% of the people living in Australia which in turn translates to 70 different Christian denominations. The mainstream denominations include Catholics, Anglicans, and Eastern Orthodox Presbyterians among others. It is therefore clear that in this country it’s difficult for one to be discriminated against by ethnicity or by religion due to the diversity of the people in this country.
Despite these advantages, one of the cultural differences is in nomenclature where employers and employees have a close relationship addressing each other by their first names a fact that is foreign to me having come from a culture where power structures are different and corporate hierarchy makes top management inaccessible to junior employees. The working environment is also quite informal and middle and top management prefers having an informal working environment unlike what I am used to in my home country where social class is elaborate and intricate.
RECOMMENDATIONS AND JOB SEEKING STRATEGY (Option 1)
After carrying out extensive research as outlined in this report on the health industry in this country, I am quite interested in three organizations in the category of aged care and disability health care. These organizations carry out both aspects of my field of interest organizations are. Kinder Caring Home, Opal Aged Care Australia and Australian Home Services. Since more nurses will be required in the future with a 6% growth rate in the labour market. Being an international student, I am planning on getting hired as casual as an assistant nurse as I wait to get registered as a nurse the moment I graduate and qualify to be a resident of Australia.
These institutions operate in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Gold coast offer aged care services to people around these places. The mission of this Kinder Caring Home is to relieve the families of both the emotional and physical stresses brought about by the ongoing care of relatives and loved ones. One of the most valuable benefits I would get from this institution is the on job training programmes and seminars that they have. This would ensure that I have some experience and exposure as I graduate and could possibly continue to work in the same place after graduation. I would be working as a registered nurse helping with various home nursing duties and responsibilities to build on when I become a registered nurse with the prospect of showing leadership to enrolled nurses and other health workers under me. On the other hand at Opal Aged care Australia I would also have a future career and be able to work in any part of the country due to the extensive network of the organization. This is an institution operating in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria Western Australia and with over 70 homes in the country meaning that it would give me an opportunity to work close to the university before graduation in their internship program. The corporate office is in Sydney and will have to send an email, therefore, my application. As the organization offers various services that are my area of interest such as care for aged residents, specialist dementia care, and pain management care it would be ideal for me. As I hope to start my internship as an assistant nurse during my vacation. Am going to prepare for the position of registered nurse by the time am graduating. This is also true for my third choice Australian Home Services. The job-seeking plan for these institutions will be more or less the same in approach with a few differences due to the uniqueness of each.
According to the research I have conducted the Australian labour market has been growing steadily and there is an expansion in the healthcare sector in caring for the aged and disabled. These institution deals with both of these areas of health provision as advanced age leads to disabilities such as poor eyesight, hard of hearing, arthritis, and Dementia among other health complications. The short-term goal will be the target of an entry position will be as an assistant in nursing as I pursue my degree and immediately change this to a registered nurse after graduation. My long-term goal will be facility management after acquiring enough experience as a registered nurse.
My job-seeking plan will involve preparing an application by June 10th for online application and taking it to the career advice department for review for each of the three organizations and ensuring that the appointment for the review is set before June. I will then submit online applications to Kinder Caring Home by September 5th, Opal Aged Care by the 15th of the same month and Australian Home Services by the 30th of the month of September. I will then carry out extensive research online about the organizations and practice various interview questions as I prepare. I will also follow each organization on LinkedIn and on Facebook and ensure that I get into contact with at least three people in each organization and seek appointments to introduce myself by 30th October 2018. I will also approach the best recruiters in health care such as HCA (Healthcare Australia) by sending an email to their database and downloading the HCA app to keep tracking available jobs and make a follow-up later by phone seeking an appointment with them. I will also network on linked in with other health practitioners starting with my fellow students and lecturers at the university to increase my chances of getting hired in this profession. Immediately after graduation, I will pursue to be registered as a nurse with the nursing and midwifery board in Australia. I will also be on the lookout for cocktails and seminars offered by any of the three organizations. This will also be followed by calling the human resource department to confirm the reception of my application and then cold calling one month before the vacation starts to finalize internship arrangements if offered an opportunity the three organizations have a friend who works for Kinder Aged Care as a doctor and he is willing to introduce me to the management at the rural facility he works in at the end of this calendar year. This will give me a head start in securing a place as an intern in the organization. Finally, I will get personal contacts with employees in this organization to establish a database that I can use for referrals and advice when seeking a job as a registered nurse. I will also continue to improve on my resume writing skills and also seek out health workers recruiting consultancy firm as Geneva health care or allied healthcare Australia that offer interview handling skills and are platforms for recruitment of healthcare workers. Again I will continue to attend networking events to increase my network in the profession.
CONCLUSION
After researching the job market for my career in this country, I have gained useful and valuable information on the trends of my career. This will help me to seek a job after I graduate with my degree in nursing at this university. I have also confirmed that my career choice is better placed due to the high demand for nurses in the country. The strategy identified will be implemented as per the set timelines to increase the success rate of being hired although I have several options available as outlined above. Good networking with potential employers and others in my profession will also help me in my search for a job in this sector.
REFERENCE LIST
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Hall, J,2015, Australian health care- The Challenge of Reform in a Fragmented System The New England journal of medicine 4(10) p,2-3.Retrieved from: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1410737 (accessed 20 March 2018)
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Labour market information portal, Australian government department of jobs and small businesses (2017) Retrieved from,http://lmip.gov.au/default.aspx?LMIP/GainInsights/EmploymentProjections
Willis, E., Price, K., Bonner, R., Henderson, J., Gibson, T., Hurley, J., Blackman, I., Toffoli, L. and Currie, T., 2016. Meeting residents’ care needs a study of the requirement for nursing and personal care staff. Retrieved from, https://www.anmfsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/staffing-of… P 1-2,(Accessed on 20 March 2018)
