NURSE EDUCATION
Jobs the big issue for new grads The nursing sector welcomes proposals to reduce higher education fees for nursing students, but the real issue is the lack of quality graduate positions.
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s a final year nursing s t ude nt at C h a rle s Sturt University, Kate L aw r enc e won’t be eligible for a 50 per cent reduction in nursing fees, part of the recent higher education reforms the federal government claims will encourage students to study joboriented degrees. She told The Lamp that while a fee reduction “would have been lovely, I don’t think the fees are what deters people”. Kate says the biggest concern for graduating nursing students is finding practical placements during your degree, juggling paid work, and transitioning to a quality job at the end of your degree. The federal government has proposed reforms to the tertiary sector, which lower the cost of nursing and many STEM degrees (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) while increasing fees for social science and humanities degrees. Professor Tracey Moroney, Chair of the Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery, said these changes were announced without consultation with the nursing profession, and without any consideration of workforce data. 28 | THE LAMP AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2020
‘ We are pleased that the government is talking about nursing students, but it is time that the government started talking about us as a profession.’ Professor Tracey Moroney, Chair of the — Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery
“While there are shortfalls in some parts of the practice environment, such as mental health and regional nursing, there is no evidence of a shortfall in nursing graduates across the board. We actually have an oversupply of graduate nurses. We have to look at the opportunities to get our graduates into practice.
graduate positions and “consolidate theoretical knowledge to practice”.
“We are pleased that the government is talking about nursing students, but it is time that the government started talking about us as a profession,” Professor Moroney said.
Universities currently receive $21,929 per year for each nursing student, made up of a Commonwealth contribution of $15,125 and a student contribution of $6804.
She said investments were needed to ensure that nursing students can move speedily into
CHANGES CREATE A SHORTFALL FOR UNIS Professor Moroney is also concerned that the proposal will see universities struggling to maintain the highest teaching standards and learning environments.
Under the new Job-ready Graduates Package, student fees drop to $3700 per year but Commonwealth contributions only increase by
