Facing chasm of understaffing, Albanese government fast-tracks foreign nurse applications
Internationally registered nurses from the UK, Ireland, the US, Singapore, Spain and Canada will soon be able to practice in Australia faster than ever.
The Albanese government will bring sweeping new measures to bring in nurses from overseas, with a new scheme set to take effect on the cusp of the election.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency on Sunday revealed it would expedite registration for qualified, registered nurses from Britain, Ireland, the US, Singapore, Spain and parts of Canada.
The move bolsters a range of Medicare reforms, the rollout of urgent care clinics and anticipated changes to the reimbursement of GPs that the Albanese government will take to this year’s election, while it launches a full-scale attack on the Coalition’s record on health funding.
Any registered nurses from the relevant countries with more than 1800 practising hours in the past eight years will be eligible to trade in their qualifications for an Australian nursing registration.
AHPRA works across state systems to streamline registrations, with a meeting of state, federal and territory health ministers prompting the change in September 2024.
It will begin from some time in March to take full effect from April, which will sit right alongside an early election, and firmly during the campaigning season of a full-term election.
It currently takes nine to 12 months on average to re-register as a nurse from overseas, which is generally slowed by multiple eligibility exams. It is estimated the change will bring wait times down to one to six months.
Health Minister Mark Butler welcomed the regulatory change, pointing to its alleviation of workforce strains.
“For too long, highly educated nurses with experience from countries like the UK, Canada and Ireland are left waiting on red tape approvals before they are able to work in our hospitals, aged-care facilities and general practices,” Mr Butler said.
“Australian patients will ultimately benefit from these changes, since these highly educated nurses can start working and providing care to Australians sooner, without waiting needlessly on red tape.”
The Health Department’s Nursing Supply and Demand Study projected a shortfall across all sectors of 70,707 full-time nurses by 2035.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia chair Veronica Casey said fixing registration would “reduce workforce pressures on health services across Australia through the supply of suitably qualified, safe and competent registered nurses”.
There are already similar processes in place to allow more nurses certified in New Zealand to practice here, which brings in 70 per cent of all overseas hires. AHPRA estimates almost 28,000 nurses practising in Australia have migrated in the past two years.
Of those, 4476 came from countries that would be eligible under the new registration scheme – 16 per cent.
It will cut out eligibility exams for those with relevant qualifications from approved comparable systems, which was a recommendation of the Kruk Review into Australia’s Regulatory Settings Relating to Overseas Health Practitioners.
There are also already fast-tracked pathways for GPs to come from New Zealand, Ireland and the UK, with AHPRA signalling it was intent on expanding the program to other specialist health areas in future.
“As a former nurse, I know all too well that Australia’s healthcare system is powered by the sweat, hearts and expertise of nurses,” Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney said
“Streamlining the application process for the thousands of highly experienced nurses from comparable countries overseas will go a long way to ensuring that Australians can get the best quality care, soonest.”
More Coverage
To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register
Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout