In a move to address the shortage of healthcare workers, the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) has recruited more than 230 international healthcare professionals since 1 July 2022.
The RMH has been actively recruiting international candidates to provide a diverse and multicultural workforce, which can provide better care to the diverse patient population.
The recruitment drive has happened alongside the state government who launched an international recruitment campaign last year. The campaign gave new international recruits some financial incentive to move to Victoria.
As part of the recruitment RMH has provided additional support and guidance to help international candidates navigate the complexities of working in a new healthcare system.
Michelle Spence, ICU Nurse Unit Manager, has hired 20 nurses from Hong Kong in the past year.
“We are so lucky to have the team here, they are wonderful, the systems are like for like, so the transition has been seamless, but we have provided additional support to navigate the cultural differences of the two systems,” Michelle said.
Victorian Health Minister, Mary-Anne Thomas visited the RMH to discuss the success of the campaign, meeting recruits from our ICU and Medical Imaging teams.
“These numbers confirm that Victoria isn’t just a great place to live – it’s one of the world’s best places to work and build a career in healthcare," Mary-Anne said.
The new ICU international nursing recruits have helped staff the additional 10 beds that have been funded since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 230 recruits which have joined the RMH since July 2022 are made up of doctors, nurses, allied health across the whole healthcare system.
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