Posted to Adelaide Now (5/6/2011) on 5/6/2011 at 11:08 AM
Commenting on "State Government pays to train Vietnamese nurses to fix local shortfall"
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/sa-funding-nurse-training-in-vietnam/story-e6frea83-1226069318627
Unfortunately too much emphasis is placed on paper qualification and paper shuffling. It's nice to sit in front of a computer, fill in forms, prepare reports or talk about strategies; the crux of the matter is patients lie in beds and need attention; they do not hang around the office areas.
It is true that many agency staff are not familiar with particular hospital environment, including certain crucial equipment, and lack spoken language skill.
Facts and figures, and who has done what are of no interest to the patients. Real throughput can only be achieved by real patient care, not the bright red colour at the bottom line.