Employment of ambulance officers in the emergency department: A short-term strategy for a nursing shortage

• Published in: Australian emergency nursing journal Vol. 7; no. 2; pp. 5 - 12
• Main Authors: Williams, Ged, Berthelsen, Jeanette, Baker, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2004
• Subjects: ambulance officers; emergency department; multidisciplinary; Northern Territory; nursing shortage; unregistered personnel; workforce; multidisciplinary; workforce; unregistered personnel; Northern Territory; emergency department; ambulance officers; nursing shortage
• ISSN: 1328-2743; 1839-275X
• DOI: 10.1016/S1328-2743(05)80025-2

Off duty ambulance officers were employed against vacant nursing positions in the emergency department (ED) during an acute-on-chronic nursing shortage at the Alice Springs Hospital in Central Australia. Seventeen officers completed 105 shifts over 13 weeks averaging 6.1 shifts per officer (range 1–20): This management strategy wasevaluated through informal focus group discussions and a survey tool sent to all stakeholders, including ambulance officers, nurses, doctors and managers. Overall the stakeholders evaluated the management strategy favourably with additional improvements required in the orientation and induction of the officers into the existing ED team. The initiative has been a valuable experience and one that could be expanded and continued here and elsewhere. A secondary benefit of this initiative has been the additional learning and networking opportunities afforded the officers who participated. The purpose of this paper is to describe and explain this unique management strategy and to provide an evaluative report of the experience from those involved should others consider trying such a strategy in the future.