Rural Australia
Factors influencing recruitment and retention of registered nurses across rural Australia
Rural Australia is characterised by having a largely industry driven economy, being geographically diverse, climatically extreme and having a low population density (Rural Health Review 2001; Kidd et al. 2012).
Rural Australians are an ageing population, with a higher incidence of chronic disease, drug and alcohol dependency and a greater proportion of
Aboriginal Australians than metropolitan Australia (Blue 2001; Francis et al. 2001; Lenthall et al. 2009; Hegney 2010; Kidd et al. 2012). These factors combine to create a unique setting for health care, one where nurses must adapt and act in ways that is often confronting, challenging, stimulating and …show more content…
Rural nursing is recognised as being different to metropolitan nursing practice due to factors such as the broader scope of practice, the professional isolation often experienced by nurses and the heightened autonomy of practice (Hegney et al. 2002a; Lenthall et al. 2009; Opie et al. 2010). To cope with such a challenging working environment, nurses who work rurally have adapted into the role of the specialist generalist, a term coined by Hegney in as early as 1997 ( Hegney 2002a; Hegney
2002b). The term arose as it recognises that nurses, who make up the largest proportion of health professionals in the rural setting (Lea et al.
2008; Hegney 2010), must adapt to fill the role of numerous health professionals who are often absent. These roles can include oral services, community nursing outreach, mental health services and occupational therapy as examples (Francis et al. 2001). Cant et al. (2011) and Kidd et al. (2012) agree that nurses in rural areas, particularly those working in an emergency context, are frequently required to perform tasks and make decisions beyond the scope of their formal training due to the lack of availability of nurse practitioners or medical …show more content…
2009).
Issues surrounding recognition of the specialised nature of rural practice and training appropriately for this have been outlined in the literature for over ten years (Blue 2000; Francis et al. 2001). Francis et al. (2001) found in a National Review of Nursing Education (Department of
Education Science and Training 2001) that there is a lack of continuing education opportunities for nurses in the rural workforce. Nurses may be compelled to undertake post graduate study to up skill or to become formally recognised as a rural specialist (an remote area nurse or RAN) but are often limited by lack of education providers within their area, cost and inflexibility with their current employment position (Blue 2000; Kidd et al. 2012). Not only do these issues create problems for nurses who are already embedded in rural nursing practice who are wishing to up skill but also acts as a deterrent for nursing graduates who may be concerned about the lack of scope for ongoing training, recognition of their skills or promotions (Hegney 2002b; Kidd et al. 2012). Cant et al.
Rural Australia is characterised by having a largely industry driven economy, being geographically diverse, climatically extreme and having a low population density (Rural Health Review 2001; Kidd et al. 2012).
Rural Australians are an ageing population, with a higher incidence of chronic disease, drug and alcohol dependency and a greater proportion of
Aboriginal Australians than metropolitan Australia (Blue 2001; Francis et al. 2001; Lenthall et al. 2009; Hegney 2010; Kidd et al. 2012). These factors combine to create a unique setting for health care, one where nurses must adapt and act in ways that is often confronting, challenging, stimulating and …show more content…
Rural nursing is recognised as being different to metropolitan nursing practice due to factors such as the broader scope of practice, the professional isolation often experienced by nurses and the heightened autonomy of practice (Hegney et al. 2002a; Lenthall et al. 2009; Opie et al. 2010). To cope with such a challenging working environment, nurses who work rurally have adapted into the role of the specialist generalist, a term coined by Hegney in as early as 1997 ( Hegney 2002a; Hegney
2002b). The term arose as it recognises that nurses, who make up the largest proportion of health professionals in the rural setting (Lea et al.
2008; Hegney 2010), must adapt to fill the role of numerous health professionals who are often absent. These roles can include oral services, community nursing outreach, mental health services and occupational therapy as examples (Francis et al. 2001). Cant et al. (2011) and Kidd et al. (2012) agree that nurses in rural areas, particularly those working in an emergency context, are frequently required to perform tasks and make decisions beyond the scope of their formal training due to the lack of availability of nurse practitioners or medical …show more content…
2009).
Issues surrounding recognition of the specialised nature of rural practice and training appropriately for this have been outlined in the literature for over ten years (Blue 2000; Francis et al. 2001). Francis et al. (2001) found in a National Review of Nursing Education (Department of
Education Science and Training 2001) that there is a lack of continuing education opportunities for nurses in the rural workforce. Nurses may be compelled to undertake post graduate study to up skill or to become formally recognised as a rural specialist (an remote area nurse or RAN) but are often limited by lack of education providers within their area, cost and inflexibility with their current employment position (Blue 2000; Kidd et al. 2012). Not only do these issues create problems for nurses who are already embedded in rural nursing practice who are wishing to up skill but also acts as a deterrent for nursing graduates who may be concerned about the lack of scope for ongoing training, recognition of their skills or promotions (Hegney 2002b; Kidd et al. 2012). Cant et al.