Rural nurses 'left to sink or swim' in understaffed facilities

A recent study has found that graduate nurses in rural health facilities are feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of their workload, with many reporting that they are underprepared for the medical challenges they face.

Danielle Rogers, a researcher from Hervey Bay, completed a post-doctoral study into the experiences of newly graduated nurses in rural and remote health facilities. She found that these nurses are expected to provide medical assistance for a range of highly complex health issues with limited training and resources.

'Sink or swim' experience

Dr. Rogers said that rural nurses must be equipped to respond to "a diverse range of [medical] presentations" not often seen in metropolitan areas, such as farming accidents, with limited support.

"There were a lot of comments about [how] they were sent in to sink or swim or felt it was a trial by fire," Dr. Rogers said.

Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union secretary Sarah Beaman said it was tricky for new nurses to make the transition into rural health centres.

"Any clinician entering these sites are job ready but if they've come from a metropolitan environment, they feel underprepared particularly when faced with emergency presentations and limited on-site support," Ms. Beaman said.

Limited support and resources

Multiple participants reported feeling overwhelmed by their new workload because it did not always align with their skill level or prior training. Many nurses said that, over time, their mental health declined due to geographic isolation, growing caseloads and financial insecurity.

"The increased pressure to look after patients with persistent shortages can lead to burnout and stress," Ms. Beaman said.

Dr. Rogers said that nurses were told the best place to voice concerns was with their direct line managers, but staffing constraints meant it was not always practical to seek guidance from veteran workers.

"Because senior nurses were so tired and burnt out, the education and support which may have been available was difficult to access," Dr. Rogers said.

Call for more training opportunities

Ms. Beaman said more incentives were desperately needed to retain nurses in rural areas, including updating the current curriculum to include "transition programs specific to the daily experience of rural and remote nurses".

"They need to look at low-cost staff housing options and training support to entice people to work in communities with low staffing numbers," she said.

A Queensland Health spokesperson said the department was "building more staff accommodation and providing incentives such as paid professional-development leave, relocation costs and bonus payments".