Media Release

2 June 2006

ANF rejects claims that nurses are 'substituting' for doctors

The Australian Nursing Federation today expressed concern about comments from the Australian Medical Association (AMA) that suggest nurses are taking over the role of doctors to 'plug gaps left by a doctor shortage'.

ANF Assistant Federal Secretary Gerardine (Ged) Kearney said nurses are plugging gaps particularly in rural and remote areas because doctors don’t want to work in those areas, despite the generous incentives provided by governments.

‘It has been the case for decades’, Ms Kearney said, ‘that nurses are frequently the only health care provider in remote areas.’

Nurses working in advanced practice roles, such as nurse practitioners, are also not doctor substitutes. They are providing advanced nursing care, which in some cases may relieve doctors from some tasks. This is a positive step and a more efficient use of the expertise of both doctors and nurses.

The ANF also objected to the suggestion that doctors should ‘supervise’ nurses as nursing is an autonomous profession, Ms Kearney said. ‘Nurses are supervised in the provision of nursing care by other, more senior nurses, not by doctors.’

Ms Kearney said she welcomed AMA vice president Dr Choong-Siew Yong’s endorsement of a team based approach to care, but added that doctor’s need to see patients at the centre of care in the broader health care context.

‘Nurses are committed to working collaboratively with doctors and all health professionals within a team setting. A truly multidisciplinary team approach does not place one practitioner above another but values and respects each practitioner’s area of expertise and the contribution they make to patient care,’ Ms Kearney said.

Australia does need to be educating more nurses and doctors to avert future serious workforce shortages in our health care system as a result of the ageing of both the general community and the health practitioner workforce, she said.

Media inquiries
Jill Iliffe, Federal Secretary  0419 576 590
Ged Kearney, Assistant Federal Secretary 0417 053 322
Lani Stanistreet, Manager Communication and Journals 0414 471 339