New graduate separations from New Zealand's nursing workforce in the first 5 years after registration: a retrospective cohort analysis of a national administrative data set 2005-2010.

AIM: To describe workforce separation rates and its relationship with demographic and work characteristics in the 2005 new graduate cohort's first 5 years as practising RNs in NZ. BACKGROUND: Retaining new graduate RNs is critical to nursing workforce sustainability; one study showed that if an RN is still employed in a hospital setting 5 years after graduation, he/she tends to remain active in the health industry. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis using the Nursing Council of New Zealand's registration data set for years 2005-2010. METHODS: All newly registered NZ graduates practising in NZ in 2005 (n = 1236) were tracked for 5 years. RESULTS: Within 5 years of graduation, 26% of the cohort had separated from the NZ nursing workforce, 18% in the first year. The under-25s (n = 517), 42% of the cohort, had the highest loss, 32%, in 5 years. Separations were significantly lower for graduates in their 30s vs. their 20s and for those who gained postgraduate tertiary qualifications post-registration (10%) vs. those who did not (29%). Hospitals were the most frequent employment setting over 5 years, the largest increase being community settings. Five-year retention rates in the four largest practice areas were surgical 26%, medical 16%, mental health 60% and continuing care 10%. After 5 years, 24% of those still practising (n = 920) worked in a different health board region. CONCLUSIONS: New graduate RN losses were higher than in previous research, with younger RNs at most risk, threatening future sustainability of the nursing workforce and highlighting the need for evidence-based targeted strategies to retain them.

Aged over 50 years and practising: separation and changes in nursing practice among New Zealand's older Registered Nurses.

AIM: To describe temporary and permanent separation patterns and changes in nursing practice over 5 years, for the 2006 cohort of nurses aged ≥50 years in New Zealand. BACKGROUND: As ageing populations increase demand on nursing services, workforce projections need better information on work and retirement decision-making of large 'baby-boomer' cohorts. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis using the Nursing Council of New Zealand administrative dataset. METHODS: A cohort of all nurses aged ≥50 years on the register and practising in 2006 (n = 12,606) was tracked until 2011. RESULTS: After 5 years, a quarter (n = 3161) of the cohort (equivalent to 8·4% of all 2006 practising nurses) was no longer practising. There were no significant differences in permanent separation rates between the ages of 50-58; between 18-54% of annual separations re-entered the workforce. On re-entry, 56% returned to the same clinical area. Annual separations from the workforce declined sharply during the global financial crisis and more of those leaving re-entered the workforce. In 2006, half the cohort worked in hospitals. After 5 years, the number of cohort nurses working in hospitals fell by 45%, while those in community settings increased by 12%. Over 5 years, weekly nursing practice hours declined significantly for every age-band. CONCLUSIONS: To retain the experience of older nurses for longer, workforce strategies need to take account of patterns of leaving and re-entering the workforce, preferences for work hours and the differences between the sub-groups across employment settings and practice areas.

van der Waals Epitaxy of High-Mobility Polymorphic Structure of Mo6Te6 Nanoplates/MoTe2 Atomic Layers with Low Schottky Barrier Height.

High contact resistance between two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and metal electrodes is a practical barrier for applications of 2D TMDs to conventional devices. A promising solution to this is polymorphic integration of 1T'-phase semimetallic and 2H-phase semiconducting TMD crystals, which can lower the Schottky barrier of the TMDs. Here, we demonstrate the van der Waals epitaxy of density-controlled single isolated 1T'-Mo6Te6 nanoplates on 2H-MoTe2 atomic layers by using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Importantly, in situ grown 1T'-Mo6Te6 nanoplates significantly reduce the contact resistance of the 2H-MoTe2 atomic layers, providing a record high mobility of 1139 cm2/V·s for Pd/1T'-Mo6Te6/2H-MoTe2 back-gated field-effect transistors, along with a low Schottky barrier height ( qϕb) of 8.7 meV. These results lead to the possibility of ameliorating the high contact resistance faced by other TMDs and, furthermore, offer polymorphic structures for realizing higher-mobility TMD devices.

Barriers to Maori sole mothers' primary health care access.

INTRODUCTION: International research consistently shows that sole mothers experience poorer health and suboptimal health care access. New Zealand studies on sole mothers' health report similar findings. The aim of this exploratory research was to better understand the experiences of Maori sole mothers' access to health services, particularly primary health care, for personal health needs. METHODS: This qualitative study employed a general inductive design informed by a Kaupapa Maori approach, providing guidance on appropriate cultural protocols for recruiting and engaging Maori participants. Distributing written information and snowballing techniques were used to purposively recruit seven Maori sole mothers. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews which were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using general inductive thematic analysis to identify commonalities and patterns in participants' experiences. FINDINGS: The dominant themes that emerged captured and described participants' experiences in accessing health care. The major barrier to access reported was cost. Compounding cost, transport difficulties and location or scheduling of services were additional barriers to health service accessibility. Child-related issues also posed a barrier, including prioritising children's needs and childcare over personal health needs. CONCLUSION: The findings illuminate Maori sole mothers' experiences of accessing health care and the complex socioeconomic inequalities affecting access options and uptake of services. Further investigation of barriers to access is needed. The study has implications for addressing barriers to access at policy, funding and practice levels to improve health outcomes and equitable health care access for Maori sole mothers.

Effects of racial match on Asian American mental health consumer satisfaction.

This study investigated the effects of consumer-provider racial match on consumer service satisfaction and treatment outcomes (i.e., Client Satisfaction Questionnaire and GAF-Posttest) of 96 outpatient consumers, 66 of whom were adults and 30 of whom were parent/caregivers of child consumers. Data was obtained by telephone interviews over a 6-week period. After controlling for four other variables, client satisfaction was higher for racially matched consumers. Racially matched child consumers also had higher GAF-Posttest scores. Implications of these findings are discussed.