The peak body for aged care providers has announced that 63 new Registered and Enrolled Nurses will the enter aged care workforce having completed its Government-funded Aged Care Nursing Transition to Practice Program.

The group consists of 48 graduate Registered Nurses (RNs) and six graduate Enrolled Nurses (ENs) who have been participating in the program for the past year, and nine transitioning RNs who joined the program for six months from other nursing fields and are moving into the aged care sector for the first time. 

With the 24/7 nursing requirements which came into force last year, we know there is a critical shortage of Registered Nurses in aged care. We are proud to be helping build the future workforce and support the nurses in this vital role," said Aged & Community Care Providers Association CEO Tom Symondson (pictured below right).

"Aged care is a field that comes with many challenges but is filled with countless rewards, and nurses get to experience a sense of fulfilment that is difficult to find elsewhere. This is an incredible learning experience and a great opportunity to capture all the learning the nurses did in their degree and transfer that into practical experience," said Bronwyn Doyle, National Team Leader for ACCPA’s Aged Care Nursing Transition to Practice Program.   

With the sector short an estimated 6,000 RNs by October 2024, ACCPA's program won't fulfil all the sector's staffing needs, but Tom said the program provides "inspiration" for others to follow in these nurses' footsteps.

Many aged care providers are also implementing their own nurse recruitment policies, including Bupa Aged Care and Villages which offers free private health insurance for regional staff, accommodation in areas where there are housing shortages, and scholarships for RNs to transition to become Nurse Practitioners.

The next intakes for the ACCPA Nursing Transition to Practice Programs for graduate RNs and ENs and transitioning RNs start in February, May and August 2024. To find out more, click here.