The state's nursing union says the government needs to consider flexible working arrangements to keep Tasmania's aging nursing workforce in the job for longer.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation's state branch will be one of a number of Tasmanian health stakeholders to be represented at the first meeting of the new Health Staff Recruitment Taskforce on June 16.
The taskforce have been convened by the state government and new Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff.
ANMF state secretary Emily Shepherd said a strategic plan was needed on how to both recruit and retain nurses and midwives within the health service.
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"The ANMF are very much of the view that we need to look at how we bring in more graduate nurses in a safe and supported way to offset those who are leaving the profession due to retirement or those who are leaving burnt out and going to other professions," she said.
"We need to get graduate nurses into more permanent positions within the Tasmanian Health Service and make sure any nurses or midwives within the health service on fixed-term contracts are made permanent.
"If we are bringing in more graduate nurses or early career nurses, there will need to be additional positions created to provide that support clinically and to provide educational support.
"There is a real risk that if we don't support early career nurses well, they will experience burn-out and leave the profession."
Ms Shepherd said the government needed to come up with a strategy on how to stop Tasmanian nurses from going interstate to health sector jobs with better pay and conditions as well as a way to reduce overtime and double shifts.
She said with an aging nursing and midwifery workforce, there needed to be consideration on how to better harness their experience and support for the next generation of workers.
"And also to look at flexible working arrangements, particularly for those who might be transitioning to retirement so we can better support them and keep them in the workforce for longer," Ms Shepherd said.
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Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
