2. Introduction
Australian aged care is a dynamic
sector. Meeting the needs of our
ageing baby boomer population drives
innovation and flexibility in the way
we care. With the ageing population
expected to quadruple over the next
40 years, strategies are needed to
ensure steady capacity and growth
into the future.
Investment in bricks and mortar will
be important, but the people are the
backbone of the aged care industry.
According to the recent Productivity
Commission Report Caring for Older
Australians, ‘a coordinated approach
to improving the attractiveness of the
aged care sector is necessary’.
Bupa aged care surveyed Registered
Nurses and nurses in leadership roles
to investigate their attitudes toward
working in the aged care industry
and to identify ways we can make a
career in aged care nursing a more
attractive option.
Our focus group discussions, involving
nurses working in the aged care and
public sectors, provoked a diverse
range of opinions.
Nurses working in aged care found
their jobs very satisfying and valued
the career advancement opportunities
on offer, but nurses working outside
the sector had a negative view of
aged care, considering it a ‘last ditch’
career choice.
There is a clear disconnect between
the attitudes of nurses working in the
industry and nurses in other roles. A
great deal of work needs to be done
to turn around prevailing attitudes and
promote aged care nursing as a clinical
specialism and satisfying career choice.
In particular, we need to work with
our university colleagues to build the
credentials of aged care nursing in
the minds of future generations of
nurses. Currently, aged care nursing
is not offered as a core subject in the
nursing curriculum. Work needs to
be done to acknowledge aged care
nursing at a tertiary level and build
‘dementia nursing’ as an emerging
clinical speciality.
We must also address the inequity
that sees nurses working in the not-
for-profit sector receiving salary
sacrificing tax benefits not available
to the rest of the industry.
The following pages highlight the
opinions of the 30 nurses we spoke
with. Their words will serve to provoke
debate about the way forward.
In late 2011 Bupa engaged
with Australian nurses
to investigate attitudes
towards working in
aged care. Over a series
of focus groups and
in-depth interviews,
clear attitudinal trends
emerged indicating that
aged care isn’t what it
used to be.
3. 1. Aged care is not considered
a nursing specialism
Aged care nursing is complex with
specialised skills in many clinical
areas including palliative, wound and
pain management. Dementia is a
fast-growing and emerging nursing
specialism and demands both a high
level of clinical competence and
interpersonal skills that are unique
to aged care nursing.
However, the image of aged care as
a regressive industry still impacts
upon decisions to consider aged care
nursing as a serious career choice.
Our research suggests that nursing
graduates are highly sensitive to the
fact that universities do not support
a career in the aged care industry.
After graduating, potential candidates
are uncertain about making a career
move to an industry that won’t use
their new skills ‘what a waste’ or offer a
motivating nursing specialism.
There is an overwhelming lack of
understanding about the key benefits
of working in aged care.
The Productivity Commission’s
Caring for Older Australians Report
identified the need to develop
the specialism of aged care.
Recommendation 14.3 stated:
The Australian Government, in
conjunction with universities and
providers, should fund the expansion
of ‘teaching aged care services’ to
promote the sector and provide
appropriate training for medical,
nursing and allied health students
and professionals.
KEY RESEARCH INSIGHTS
Aged care is
not what it used
to be tttttt
Aged care is a
third year elective,
no-one really cares
about it tttttt
“ “
...under resourced –
too business orientedtttttt
Building relationships
with residents,
families and
co-workers tttttt
“
“
“ 2. Working in aged care is
immensely satisfying
There is a genuine opportunity across
all skill groups in aged care to make a
difference. Workers report a sense of
satisfaction derived from the benefits
they bring to other peoples’ lives.
Senior managers value the business
skills they acquire, and the freedom to
implement change.
Evidence from our research suggests
that the benefits of working in
aged care need to be collectively
promoted to both better attract
future nursing and management
talent into the industry and overcome
the ‘regressive and old fashioned’
perception barriers.
You get to treat the person
not the disease tttttt“
“
“
“
“
4. ‘There are great
misconceptions about
working in aged care’,
– Bupa aged care HR
Director Kate Sellick
3. People working in aged care
are qualified and passionate
There is a false perception among
acute hospital nurses that a move
to aged care means moving to an
unskilled environment where clinical
skills will be under-utilised.
Every carer holds a Certificate III
aged care qualification at the least.
Residential aged care staff are exposed
to a wide range of care scenarios,
building confidence in their skills and
flexibility in their approach to care,
management and leadership. Nurses
entering the aged care industry are
likely to be surprised by the depth of
experience and professional support
provided by care staff.
The perception that aged care nursing
is less skilled than the public sector is
perpetuated by pay inequity.
When examining the sustainability
of the aged care workforce the
Productivity Commission’s Caring for
Older Australians report noted the
‘longstanding disparity between the
wages paid to nurses employed in the
aged care sector compared to those
employed in comparable settings’.
Recommendation 14.1 stated
‘ … the need to pay fair and
competitive wages to nursing and
other care staff delivering approved
aged care services and the appropriate
mix of skills and staffing levels for the
delivery of those services ..’.
In light of this recommendation the
report called for scheduled prices for
aged care to be taken into account
and acknowledged that “inadequate
funding and indexation mechanisms
diminish aged care providers’ ability to
pay fair and competitive wages”.
In addition, nurses working in the aged
care industry feel the wage disparity
between the profit and not-for-profit
sectors is unfair and a disincentive to
working in the non-charity sector.
4. You shape the future
A nursing and managerial career
in aged care is an opportunity to
shape the future and make a positive
difference in other people’s lives.
Our research shows nurses working
within aged care see the industry
offering distinct benefits in terms of:
work/life balance – fixed rosters
professional support
personal development
accelerated pathways into
managerial positions, and
clinical speciality career pathways
such as dementia nursing.
My medical knowledge
as a nurse has really increased,
if I were in aged care it would
go nowheretttttt
“ “
Carrying the load
of unskilled carerstttttt“
“ Ability to make a
difference – more control
over what you dott
“ Variety of work –
skills building beyond
the clinicaltttttt
“ ““
Fantastic career
development. They train you up
to be a manager in two yearstttttt
“ “
