A new national body representing recruitment agencies operating in the nursing sector, the Australian Association of Nursing Recruitment Agents (AANRA) has announced the Members of its first Council, to be led by one of the industryís most highly regarded figures, Ms Margaret Scott OAM.
ìAANRA was convened by the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA) to represent the interests of nursing recruiters and to work closely with a broad range of stakeholders including nursing staff, health services providers and state and federal government bodies,î AANRA Chairperson, Ms Scott, said.
Ms Scott was awarded the Order of Australia medal in the Australia Day honours list in 2005 for service to public health, particularly through the development of nursing services in the Hunter region, and to the community.
Under her leadership, AANRA will focus on state-based and national issues such as health industry quality improvement practice and increased demands for provision of education and training by recruitment services.
ìAnother key goal is to gain acceptance of the crucial role that health industry recruitment services play in creating as flexible workplace options for the health care workforceî, Ms Scott said.
AANRA was created in recognition of the unique challenges facing the nursing recruitment industry and will replace the independent organisation, Nursing Agencies Association of Australia (NAAA), which will no longer operate.
ìMany members of the earlier NAAA group were also Members of RCSA, and felt that there was value in being part of the larger body while still maintaining their independence,î she said.
ìThe severe lack of nursing staff has created a special set of challenges, and so we were considering how best to represent our interests, create a forum for discussion and deliver tailored services to Members.
The solution was to create a new organisation which, by operating under the auspices of the RCSA, will have access to its outstanding infrastructure and resources,î Ms Scott said.
One of the bodyís first tasks has been the nomination and election of Council Members, who represent both specialist nursing agencies (full members), and larger recruiting firms with a nursing division (associate members). These Council Members are:
Chairperson
Margaret Scott OAM, Hunter Nursing Agency
Deputy Chairperson
Danielle Wallace/Sue Cudmore, Alliance Health Services Group
Representative, Education and Development
Nigel Woolford, Nursing Agency Australia
Representative Ethics and Professional Practice
Alan Bell, Chandler Macleod Medical
Graham Moss, Oxley Group
Representative, Finance
John Montalto, Alpha Services
Representative, Membership
Eric Smith, Australian Nursing Agency
RCSA forms new body for Nursing Recruitment Agencies
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