April 2008

Moira Model assures the future of local nursing

Moira Healthcare Alliance has made a presentation to the Department of Human Services on initiatives ensuring the future of local nursing.

Cobram District Hospital director of nursing Christine Symmons updated the Department and members of the alliance on a program that upskills division two nurses to become division one registered nurses.

The program was established in 2000 in partnership with Charles Sturt University because of the inability to recruit nurses across Moira Shire.

Ms Symmons said there were high retirement rates for an ageing workforce and no succession planning at that time.

‘This program allowed the nurses to continue working in their role and study through distance education,’ Ms Symmons said.

‘In essence we were growing our own staff.’

The Moira Model grew in 2007 to incorporate a partnership with Wodonga TAFE to encourage more locals to train as nurses—to work, study and train in the area.

‘Most recently, the 2007 Nurses EBA recognised that personal care attendants (certificate three) working in aged care, who were undertaking their division two course, would be recognised as part of the nursing skill mix workforce as student nurses,’ Ms Symmons said.

‘This recognition has been a huge achievement for nursing and the local communities.’

Ms Symmons said she hoped in future to expand the current model to include other workforce disciplines and create more options for career pathways in allied health and advanced practice nursing.

She said there were also opportunities for further professional development for the current nursing workforce and training the staff with multiple competencies by 2012–20.

‘This is not about the nurses doing everything—it’s about using the skills they have more effectively,’ Ms Symmons said.