A new national career map aims to keep experienced nurses in the workforce by replacing “guesswork” about career progression with 12 defined pathways.
Australia cannot simply train its way out of its nursing workforce problems and needs to do more to retain experienced nurses, according to the Australian College of Nursing.
The college has launched Nursing Career Pathways, a free national resource mapping 12 career pathways across clinical practice, advanced practice, education, research, management, policy and advocacy, innovation, informatics, business, and executive leadership.
The project was developed following consultation with nearly 800 nurses from metropolitan, regional, rural, and very remote Australia.
ACN CEO Adjunct Professor Kathryn Zeitz said the project responded to nurses who wanted clearer opportunities to progress within the profession.
“Nurses told us loud and clear that they love nursing and want to stay, grow, and lead. But too many described career progression happening through guesswork rather than clear, visible pathways,” she said.
“Nursing Career Pathways is designed to bolster the profession by clearly outlining career options and career progression. It aims to give every nurse, at every stage, the tools to take control of their own career.”
Professor Zeitz said retention would become increasingly important as demand for nurses grew alongside an ageing population and increasing rates of chronic and complex conditions.
“We cannot train our way out of the workforce challenge alone. Every experienced nurse who leaves takes years of skill and knowledge with them,” she said.
“The evidence shows that supporting nurses to build rewarding, flexible careers is one of the most effective things we can do to keep them, and to make sure Australians get the care they need now and into the future.”
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The initiative is intended to support actions under the recently released National Nursing Workforce Strategy, including improving nurses’ career mobility and flexibility, supporting access to nursing education, and strengthening clinical-academic and research career pathways.
“The Strategy sets out a vision for nurses to progress their careers in the way they choose, and Nursing Career Pathways helps turn that goal into a practical, everyday reality for nurses,” Professor Zeitz said.
The resource also includes career planning and decision-making tools, examples of nursing careers and resources covering wellbeing, mentoring, and reflection.
ACN has also released a Nursing Pathways Report detailing the findings and recommendations from the project.