The future of nursing and
midwifery – Where are we
heading?
Leadership and Issues in the Workforce for Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Nurses in Australia
Faye Clarke
Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Nurses
My
qualifications
• Gunditjmara, Wotjobaluk,
Ngarrundjeri
• Victorian Director for CATSIN
• Community Health Nurse,
Baarlinjan Medical Clinic
• GCTE 2007
• GCDE 2011
Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Nurses
Baarlinjan Medical Clinic
Aims
• To define Australia’s Indigenous people
• To describe the role of CATSIN in Australian
health care system
• To demonstrate the need to increase the
recruitment and retention of Aboriginal
nurses and leaders
• Barriers to developing leaders in nursing in
the workforce and in the education setting
• Programs designed to assist in Australia
• Where are we heading?
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Indigenous Population By
State
ACT
NT
Tas
NSW
SA
WA
Vic
Qld
ABS, 2010
Life Expectancy
ABS - 2009
Indigenous
Non-Indigenous
Women
72.9
82.6
Men
67.2
78.7
2009 ABS estimates of life expectancy for children born during 2005-07
Mortality causes:
CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND
TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES
OUR FORWARD DREAMING
The numbers of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples in nursing and
midwifery
reflects the National Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander population.
OUR REASON FOR BEING
To increase the recruitment and retention
of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples in nursing and midwifery.
CATSIN’S Major Focus Areas
• To develop strategies aimed at increasing
the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples into nursing and midwifery,
and to retain them in the profession
• To ensure non-Indigenous nurses and
midwives have education and training
in our history, health and culture
Number of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander
Nurses
(Registered and Enrolled)
Year
Total Nurses
2001
2006
791
1135
2011
2212
What is leadership?
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Cultural safety
Understanding
Commitment and passion
Persistence
Respect
How are leaders made?
• Emerging Nurse Leaders
• Motivating Factors
Role modelling
A cause
A desire for a better future
Indigenous leaders
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Education and research
Support from regulatory authorities
Recognising the voice of community
Many nations
Aboriginal activism is good practice
Learning from elders
Barriers in the education
sector
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Successfully completing university
Risks to success
Issues and difficulties
Tackling the barriers:
Tjirtamai
Barriers in the workforce
setting
• Identification
• Cultural safety
• Stresses associated with nursing as a
profession
• Costs of further education
• Horizontal hostility
• Workload in Aboriginal health setting
• Limited number of Aboriginal nurses creates
pressure
• Training opportunities
• Over-commitment
Working collaboratively
• Create a critical mass
• Join forces with other Indigenous
organisations in health
• Work with our non-Indigenous
colleagues
• Improve training opportunities and
career paths
• Mentoring
• Be creative and always inspire
Conclusion
• Australia’s diverse Indigenous population
includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people
• CATSIN’s aim is to increase numbers of
Indigenous nurses and midwives
• Indigenous people face many barriers in the
education setting
• Indigenous nurses and midwives also face
barriers in the work place that can impact on
their development as leaders
• Leadership programs are essential to develop
our future workforce
CATSIN representatives at NZ SPNF
References
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Aboriginal Australia Map, 2009, http://www.surrender.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/map_largeweb.jpg
Australian Nursing Federation, 2012, Ensuring Quality
http://anf.org.au/documents/reports/Issues_Ensuring_quality.pdf
Australian Indigenous Health Infonet, (2012) Summary of Australian Indigenous health;
http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/health-facts/summary; 9/11/12
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2009) ‘Numbers of Indigenous GP’s, registered nurses and health
students all rising’, www.aihw.gov.au/media-release-detail/?id=6442464820
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2012. Nursing and midwifery workforce 2011. National health workforce
series no. 2. Cat. no. HWL 48. Canberra: AIHW.
Duffield, et al, 2007, Staff satisfaction and retention, and the role of the Nursing Unit Manager, Collegian, Journal of
the Royal College or Nursing Australia, 16;1;11-17.
Health Workforce Australia, 2012, Health Workforce Insights, Issue 5,
http://www.healthworkforceaustralia.com.au/hwinsights/issue5/index.html
Hill, J, 2012 http://redroomcompany.org/poet/jonathan-hill/
Six pak productions, Multicultural entertainment, http://www.sixpak.com.au/multi.html
The Courier-Mail, 2011 http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/performers-mark-coming-of-the-light/storyfn6ck51p-1226085146869
Torres Strait Island map, 2012, www.tsirc.qld.gov.au
West, R, 2010, ‘Tjirtamai - ‘To Care for’: A nursing education model designed to increase the number of Aboriginal nurses in
a rural and remote Queensland community’ Contemporary Nurse: a Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 37: 1,
West, R, 2010, ‘Increased numbers of Australian Indigenous nurses would make a significant contribution to ‘closing the gap’
in Indigenous health: What is getting in the way?’ Contemporary Nurse: a Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 37; 1,
pp 107-108
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Usher, K. (2010) ‘Indigenous higher degree research students making a difference to the Indigenous health
agenda’, Contemporary Nurse: a Journal for the Australian nursing profession, Dec.
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IT Support: Alana Ryan