Key elements of perioperative medicine: gradual change or paradigm shift?
HEALTH WORKFORCE TRENDS – WHO WILL CARE FOR US?
R Webb
SA Department of Health, Adelaide, SA
National and international shortages of health professionals are increasingly recognised.
Various strategies are adopted to overcome the shortages including importation of health professionals from countries which can ill afford to lose them and increasing training places.
However an underlying deficit of new entrants to the Australian workforce – due to low and declining birth rates – is of significant concern.
One implication is that the health professions will have to compete with all other possible careers for a dwindling pool of Australian workers or find other means of addressing the deficits. Another implication is that the tax revenue base for funding services such as health and aged care will be reduced substantially.
The need to examine alternative methods of training, supervision, career management and health care delivery is apparent.
Policy setting bodies, such as Departments of Health, and employers, such as hospitals, are coming to terms with the need to manage this situation and relate to the workforce in a different manner.
The Medical Workforce Strategy being developed by the South Australian Department of Health will be used as an example.
Time of Presentation
Saturday 13 May 2006 - 1330-1500
