Nursing tauira (students) have said they are angry and confused after reports of a hiring freeze by Te Whatu Ora for its supported entry-to-practice roles in hospital and specialist services.
Te Whatu Ora chief nurse Nadine Gray has denied a hiring pause — but did suggest there may not be enough hospital roles to go around and some graduates would need look outside of hospitals.
“Graduates may also be employed in primary/community care, aged residential care or public health.”
‘Right now we are working to match those vacancies with the graduate nurses who applied as part of ACE.’
This week, Gray said the ACE matching process was “still underway” following a June 27 deadline for vacancies to be submitted, so the number of graduates with hospital jobs could not yet be provided.
“Right now we are working to match those vacancies with the graduate nurses who applied as part of ACE,” she said via email, in response to Kaitiaki.
Gray said Te Whatu Ora expected to be back in touch with ACE applicants in the week beginning July 15, and would respond “more fully” after then.
“We highly value our nursing workforce, and the immense contribution they make to the health system in New Zealand,” she added.
At a June 18 hui, Te Whatu Ora’s chief clinical officer, Richard Sullivan, instructed clinical and nursing leaders to “pause” the mid-year graduate intake for NETP (nurse-entry-to-practice) and NESP (nurse-entry-to-specialist-practice) in hospital and specialist services (HSS) due to fiscal constraints.
This followed an earlier communication, sighted by Kaitiaki, in which Sullivan referred to cost pressures and said there would be an immediate “pause” in recruitment for all non patient-facing hospital and public health roles.
NZNO-Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa student co-leader Shannyn Bristowe said last week she was “absolutely gutted” and had been inundated with calls from confused and angry tauira.
Graduates are matched to supported entry roles across the sector through national matching system ACE (advanced choice of employment). The new nurses identify up to three preferred practice settings, including those outside Te Whatu Ora and hospitals.
Matching is ongoing after the deadline was extended from last week, with graduates to be notified on July 17.
The supported entry NETP/NESP roles are not the only way into nursing for new graduates, but provide wraparound support such as clinical preceptorship, orientation, professional development, ongoing debriefing as well as post-graduate study pathways. They can also provide specialised support for new Māori and Pasifika graduates.
‘We are in a nursing crisis. As a country we do not train enough nurses to meet our own needs.’
NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter said last week he was “extremely disappointed” by the move.
“We are in a nursing crisis. As a country we do not train enough nurses to meet our own needs and we rely heavily on IQNs [internationally qualified nurses] to fill the gap — we desperately need more homegrown nurses,” he said.
Further information on the new graduate employment process can be found here.