A health recruiter's first overseas drive since the borders opened has maxxed out, with hopes it will bring in 100 desperately needed workers.
File photo. Photo: 123RF
Accent Health Recruitment is running a seminar for health staff in Singapore today, with Te Whatu Ora Heath NZ representatives joining them.
Accent director Prudence Thomson has been helping employ health staff for 25 years and said her team used to go overseas every three or four months but had not been since the pandemic.
There was now a big backlog of interest, with all 200 places at the seminar filled by pre-screened applicants.
If all went to plan, she hoped half of them would be working here within a year.
New Zealand was 4000 nurses short - not to mention midwives, doctors, physios and more.
Accent Health Recruitment director Prudence Thomson. Photo: Supplied
Thomson said it was great to be able to help make a dent in that.
"I know that Auckland [Hospital] has got a shortfall of 400 nurses so if we could find 100 nurses for them I would be absolutely delighted," she said.
A Wellington health service had emailed her yesterday desperate to recruit two nurses.
"It's really nice to be able to say 'hey I've got two nurses, they're six weeks away.' If those nurses in Wellington know they are on the way it is actually hope," she said.
After the seminar, Te Whatu Ora representatives would have individual "meet and greets" with some of the health workers, hopefully presenting job offers once all the proper processes had happened, she said.
Many of the health workers keen to come like the idea of New Zealand's lifestyle, others had family connections, Thomson said.
The country's health worker crisis was contributing to surgery delays, huge waits in emergency departments and GP clinics and appointment wait times.
Thomson said the shortages did not come as a surprise to the overseas workers because the problem was a global one.
She wanted nurses added to the fastest track to residency - currently they have to wait two years.
Many were prepared to wait, or to come in on working holiday visas, but doing everything to help smooth the way would help, she said.
Te Whatu Ora said the nursing heads from Counties Manukau and Tairāwhiti were at the seminar.
Its chief of people and culture, Rosemary Clements, said it would provide an insight into working in New Zealand hospitals.
Accent Recruitment would channel those workers keen to apply for jobs through Kiwi Health Jobs, which was Te Whatu Ora's recruitment arm.
There were other initiatives aimed at attracting international health staff from many roles, including helping them with immigration, she said.
"We have had a very good response to overseas recruitment so far," she said.
Thomson said Accent was planning more recruitment drives, including one in the United States by the end of the year.