There is a growing number of nursing jobs in the Republic of Ireland that are being left empty according to recent reports.
According to figures announced by The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), the number of new nurse jobs that have been left empty will soon be on the rise.
The reason the organisation gives for this nursing jobs crisis in Ireland is that the majority of the 1600 graduates who finished university this year have decided to look for nurse jobs outside Ireland. According to their research, these graduates have either already left the country or are planning to do so within the next year.
Now the association is calling for a graduate nursing programme to be introduced in order to fill the nurse jobs positions in the country. It will also provide a much needed kick start to the careers of many new graduates in the sector.
It fears that without this two year recruitment programme, many new graduates will move to England to look for work. This, the association claims would be like a repeat of what happened in the 1990s when thousands of Irish nurses were forced to move to England to look for work due to the lack of opportunities at home.
Speaking to Irish Health, a spokesperson for the Organisation is hoping that introducing a new programme will help future generations of nurses: “At home, those who are not in a position to travel at best face minimal locum work, or the dole queue, having spent four years training to degree level at a cost of €90,000 each to the taxpayer.”
As part of these proposals, graduates would be able to find work in frontline nursing for a period of two years at a lower salary. This would provide a solution to the shortage of nurses, while providing graduates with invaluable experience.