Overseas Trained Health Professionals in Australia - Dissertation Example

Vigorous debate exists concerning the rights and responsibilities of healthcare personnel regarding migration, and what measures could be employed to address these shortages (Aiken et al, 2004).

There is an ebb and flow to the quantity of qualified nursing personnel based on patterns of career choice, and educational opportunity. One strategy by which hospitals and medical organizations can address this shortfall is through a fundamental mechanism of economic exchange: taking an attractive commodity in question from where it is abundant and relocating it to where it is needed. This is often the source of shortfalls in underdeveloped countries, but a shortage of qualified medical professionals is not limited to one society or continent. Certainly, it is to the advantage of British Commonwealth countries to attract talented nurses from abroad, and measures must be taken to encourage and support them to meet the country's own medical needs.

There is no doubt that the expertise of nursing personnel is an attractive commodity and extraordinary measures are worthwhile if the nursing shortages can be alleviated where they are most serious. There are numerous pitfalls and challenges for foreign nurses, language being among the foremost, (Konno, 2008) but not always for the most obvious reasons.

While knowledge of the English language itself is relatively widespread around the globe, there can still be cultural idiosyncrasies that may lead to errors and confusion as a result of the precise language required for the medical profession. For example, if a bride on her wedding day were to be admitted to the hospital, a nurse in the United States may offhandedly comment that some physical symptoms may be due to her having 'cold feet', from her upcoming nuptials. Whereas a doctor from China, while he understands most English might mistakenly interpret those remarks as suspicion of poor circulation in the lower extremities (When the actual intent was to euphemistically express the likelihood of psychosomatic symptoms as a result of anxiety over the wedding).

While the challenges are manifold, planning and preparation can smooth the transition. And a variety of methods are available to help foreign nurses use productive careers in Australia. Some of which are dependent upon the government, but several organizations will be discussed later that can be beneficial.

The necessity for nurses is ongoing, and will likely increase in the future as a result of a graying population and fluctuating shortages in the availability of nursing personnel (Preston, 2006). The promotion of public acceptance for the profession (in terms of mental health) is also necessary to continue to attract qualified personnel to whatever country they are most needed. Public misconceptions may still exist concerning the role and capabilities of mental health nurses (White & Winstanley, 2010), partly as a result of the negative implications and practices that were standard in what passed for mental health care in centuries past. The mental health profession has progressed considerably from the days of lobotomies and electroshock therapy, but there is still in need for a vigorous advocacy in order to read the public awareness of faulty misconceptions that may follow a traveling nurse (Ryan, 2008), in addition to coping strategies for the stresses of mental health nursing (White & Winstanley, 2010).

This advocacy can be addressed through an intentional effort to support the healthcare workforce, addressing concerns from migratory healthcare workers, in addition to increasing the training capacity/enrollment (Zhou, 2010) and administrative/management apparatus by which nurses are employed. While Australia is among the nations that is experiencing the benefits of qualified medical personnel moving to the country, (temporary migration of doctors to Australia has doubled between 2001 and 2008). And in regards to fully accredited, foreign-trained doctors the percentage in Australia rose to reach 23% in 2007 (OECD, 2010). This only underscores the necessity for a support apparatus for the benefit of these personnel. Figures for permanent, foreign-trained nurses are lower, but still increasing. Permanent migration of foreign nurses has increased six times over in Australia since the year 2000.

While much of the industrialized world is experiencing an economic recession currently, this is less likely to affect the medical field, especially regarding the migration of nurses and other healthcare personnel. This is due to the fact that the healthcare profession is typically resilient to economic downturns, because sickness does not respect stock market fluctuations. Moreover, countries suffering from the effects of the recession are more likely to produce individuals that may perceive better prospects abroad, and with a constant need for healthcare personnel, prospects for job security are inevitably greater. A global recession has the potential to further enhance migration of nurses from less developed countries to places such as Australia.