Making big data work for Victoria’s nurse workforce

Keeping wisdom at work

The Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration (MARC) has initiated a study focusing on Victorian nurses, the largest and fastest ageing cohort in the state’s health workforce and nation-wide.

The Keeping Wisdom at WorkStudy will investigate the benefits and challenges older nurses (45+ years) face in achieving successful workforce participation. The study will do this by drilling into Victoria’s largest public-sector survey, which comprises thousands of survey entries.

Focusing on the entire Victorian public hospital system, results will identify nurses’ opportunities for further learning and development, experiences of ageism and other discriminations, and change management processes.

Dr Bianca Brijnath from the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI), who is leading this study, said, “We anticipate that the project will help us to develop recommendations for individual nurses and for organisations on how older nurses should be recognised for their experience and skills, and how age discrimination for nurses working in the public health system can be addressed.”

Under the auspice of MARC, several key partners including NARI, the University of Melbourne, Northern Health, Austin Health, St Vincent’s Health, Melbourne Health, and the Department of Health and Human Services are involved in this study. Results are expected in early 2019 and will be used by the health service partners for staff strengthening initiatives.

[Source: Dr Biana Brijnath, Director, Social Gerontology, National Ageing Research Institute.]