Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer for NSW Health, Susan Pearce, addressed nurses in Wagga yesterday as part of International Nurses Day.

A national training plan undertaken by Health Workforce Australia predicts a shortage of between 80,000 and 147,000 nurses by 2025.

Ms Pearce said she was pleased with the new pathways which allowed nurses to enter the profession after various levels of qualification.

“I think people realise what an important role nurses have,” Ms Pearce said. 

“They are integral in our health system and they not only deliver health care to our patients, they also provide support and advice to people in need.”

“Health care is always something we need to focus on,” Ms Pearce said. 

She said the development of the Nurse Practitioner (NP) role was helping to respond to those needs.

“The NP role gives nurses the ability to treat patients suffering from minor problems, not to replace a doctor, but to enhance patient experience,” she said.

Ms Pearce also spruiked the importance of the United Nations ‘Closing the Gap: Millennium Development Goals’, which aligns with providing primary health care to at-risk groups.

The goals include improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS and malaria, and reducing child mortality rates.

“I certainly push for a greater emphasis on primary and preventative health care,” she said.