key: cord-0705464-mnzoduhe
authors: McMillan, Alison J
title: Commentary on: Is COVID‐19 the straw that broke the back of the emergency nursing workforce?
date: 2021-11-16
journal: Emerg Med Australas
DOI: 10.1111/1742-6723.13884
sha: a4fa8fa23660d1483a68535864d3e592d5b381c3
doc_id: 705464
cord_uid: mnzoduhe

nan

Emergency nursing has its share of challenges, and there is no doubt that emergency nurses are highly respected by the community and their colleagues for their skills, experience and resilience. Emergency nurses alongside all healthcare workers really deserve the gratitude of all Australians.

It is apparent from the study by Cornish et al. that senior leadership, experience and staffing levels are an essential part of maintaining safety for both patients and staff in the ED. 1 However, it is important to acknowledge that the study by Cornish et al. has recognised its limitations, including a small sample size, and is reflective of a point in time. It draws attention to gaps that may exist, and that further knowledge and strategies may be required to maintain and sustain this specialised nursing workforce into the future.

The influences of work pressures and satisfaction of staff and the team are multifactorial and may take a range of different measures to address the retention of staff at a local, state or national level.

It is highlighted that more can be done now to better understand emergency nurse numbers, rate of turnover and intent to leave the profession. Only when we understand the past and current situation can we plan and support the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant time for our country, with the mounting challenges the pandemic presents. Nursing has been a major contributor to the COVID-19 response, with emergency nursing playing a significant frontline role in the pandemic. However, the study by Cornish et al. has not conclusively found that the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the intention to leave the profession from the respondents. I suggest that further work should be done in this area as recognising the current emergency nursing situation will contribute to forecasting the needs in sustaining a stable emergency nurse workforce for the future.

It is important to note that the Commonwealth Department of Health is working closely with all jurisdictions, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and stakeholder groups on short-and medium-term priorities to address the workforce challenges of the current COVID-19 situation and the impacts of living with COVID into the future.

In addition, I am currently leading work on the development of the first National Nursing Strategy (the Strat-egy), where we are committed to developing a strategy that builds a capable, resilient nursing profession delivering person-centred, evidence-based, compassionate care to Australian communities. The Strategy will look at workforce sustainability, diversity of the profession and the challenges of regional, rural and remote nursing.

Finally, to all emergency nurses, all Australians are very grateful for the job you do, often in very difficult circumstances. I am proud to be a nurse and I hope you are too.

Is COVID-19 the straw that broke the back of the emergency nursing workforce?

None declared.