Rural employment: A get-go for recent nursing and allied health graduates?
2021
Objective: To explore the pathways recent nursing and allied health graduates have
used to gain initial employment in regional and rural Tasmania. Design: A mixed-methods design comprising an online survey and semi-structured
interviews. Setting: Tasmania, Australia. Participants: Eighty-four recent nursing and allied health graduates from 18
disciplines. Main outcome measures: Location and pathway to initial employment, job search
strategies, number of job applications and length of time taken to gain employment. Results: Participants obtained their qualification from Tasmania or mainland
Australia. Rural-origin graduates were more likely to work in rural locations after
graduating. Graduates sought initial regional or rural employment to be close to family; to avail themselves of more job opportunities and less competition from other
graduates; and for adventure. An inability to secure metropolitan jobs led others to
seek opportunities in regional and rural Tasmania. Graduates that used multiple job
search strategies and who were more flexible regarding location and field of initial
employment experienced fewer challenges gaining employment. Conclusion: For recent nursing and allied health graduates, securing initial employment can be time-consuming and labour-intensive. Being flexible, persistent
and willing to adjust expectations about work location will help. Rural employment
might provide the right get-go for a professional career. Understanding the pathways
recent graduates have used to gain initial rural employment can help better connect
graduates and prospective employers.
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