Where is the "disappearing nurse"?
February 25, 12:58
There is a shortage of nurses who are in a critical situation due to the corona disaster.
The line of trust for securing human resources is the "potential nurse" who is said to have 700,000 people nationwide and is qualified but is not currently in the nursing job.
However, it became clear that many of them were not even known and they were not able to work on their return.
(Chiaki Tatemachi / Kazuteru Sakai / Naoko Baba)
Even professors and students are in the medical field ...
A nurse call that never stops.
At Showa University Northern Yokohama Hospital in Yokohama City, nurses were busy with work.
Akiko Tanaka and Hiromi Mimura were assisting the meals of an 89-year-old female inpatient in the general ward.
The two are not active nurses.
My main job is a university professor.
At the end of last year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare sent faculty members and graduate students with nurse qualifications to nursing universities nationwide in an attempt to solve the growing shortage of nurses due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection. I asked you to send it.
The two have been dispatched from a university affiliated with the hospital and have been supporting them several times a month since January.
The hospital has switched its emergency ward to a dedicated corona ward since April last year to accept corona patients.
In the corona-only ward, it is necessary to assign more nurses than usual in order to deal with serious patients, and the burden on the nurses is heavy both physically and mentally.
Hospitals take measures such as changing work with nurses in general wards as needed, but the sense of labor shortage at the site is becoming chronic.
There, two university professors who decided to support.
Mr. Tanaka has been working at a hospital for the first time in 30 years, and Mr. Mimura is also on site for the first time in 15 years.
In the general ward, he is in charge of helping patients eat and brush their teeth.
Professor Akiko Tanaka, Faculty of Health Sciences, Showa University
"I heard from a nurse I knew that I was reaching the limit that I couldn't overcome with my energy alone. Now, I have some university work, such as the time of the entrance examination. I want to continue to support even during this time. "
Professor Hiromi Mimura, Faculty of Health Sciences, Showa University
"Nurses in the field do not say it in words, but when I look at their complexion, I feel that they are very tired. I can work to reduce the burden. There is a place to say, but I think that even a small amount can be useful. "
The hospital is aiming to increase the number of nurses by mid-career recruitment, but it is not progressing as expected.
For that reason, we welcome the support of the two.
Etsuko Isokawa, Director of Nursing Department, Showa University Northern Yokohama Hospital
"General nurses give priority to the care of patients with high urgency and severity, so we may ask the two patients to watch over. The number is increasing. The merit of being able to respond slowly to such patients with support is great. "
On the other hand, it is difficult to significantly reduce the burden on the site with such support alone.
"No matter how many nurses there are, it's not enough to deal with the new coronavirus,"
Isokawa said with a sigh.
“The disappeared nurse”
The Japanese Nursing Association, an organization made up of qualified nurses, is receiving a series of voices complaining about the plight of the nursing field.
It is said that some hospitals will close part of the ward due to the turnover of nurses due to the hard work of Corona.
I want to secure as many nurses as possible to reduce the burden on the site.
The Nursing Association relies on so-called "potential nurses," who are qualified but are no longer in the nursing profession.
The number of people who have left the workplace for various reasons such as childcare and long-term care is estimated to be more than 700,000 nationwide.
The Nursing Association continues to encourage potential nurses to return to work, centered on the "Nurse Centers" established nationwide in response to designations from the national and prefectural governments.
At the "Kanagawa Nurse Center", we work with people by e-mail, etc., and train people who responded that "I have a desire to work but I am worried about blanks" or "I can work for a short time". It is said that it has led to the return of a total of 50 people so far by providing support such as conducting e-mails and introducing workplaces that meet the desired working conditions.
However, there are only a few potential nurses who can take such an approach at nurse centers around the world.
why?
The information on potential nurses held by the nurse center is based on the information that the nurse voluntarily registered when he / she left the job, and the number of cases is still small because the registration system is not well known. That's right.
The number is about 130,000 nationwide.
Only 50,000 people were asked to work by e-mail in Corona, because they were limited to those who indicated their intention to return to work.
It is said that some of the 130,000 people have changed their contact information and cannot be contacted.
Of the estimated 700,000 potential nurses, more than 80% are in a “disappeared” state where they cannot approach directly.
For this reason, how to increase the number of registered users in the database is an urgent issue for the nurse center.
Hiromi Hiroshima, Chief of Kanagawa Nurse Center
"We always contact registrants and listen carefully. There are various job offers, so I hope that more people will be able to register and work. is"
Only nursing qualifications “previous era ideas” !?
Although nurses are national qualifications, the management of qualification holder information is very different from other national qualifications related to medical care.
The three qualifications of doctor, dentist, and pharmacist are obliged to deliver the address and contact information to the country once every two years regardless of whether or not they are working.
If you violate it, there is a fine of up to 500,000 yen.
On the other hand, nurses only register their name, date of birth, registered domicile, etc. when they obtain the qualification, and the address and employment status are not subject to registration.
Even so, while working, the prefectures are obliged to report their address and place of employment once every two years, so the Nursing Association can also know where they are.
However, after leaving the job, it will be difficult to confirm the whereabouts without registration at the nurse center.
The registration system for nurse centers started in 2015 to identify the whereabouts of potential nurses, but registration is only an "obligation to make efforts" and there are no penalties for not complying.
The obvious difference is that the Nursing Association has such a grudge.
"Nursing staff is supposed to say,'Only working people need to be known by prefectures.' With the idea that'potential people no longer need to know','Women when they get married or give birth.' I think that it is made up of the idea of the previous era that "you can enter the home and supplement the required number with new graduates."
"If you push your back ..."
Some "disappearing nurses" believe that they can return to work with active encouragement and support.
Chiharu Sano (43), who lives in Tokyo, left her job three years ago when she got married after working for seven years in the emergency department of a national hospital and in the pediatric ward.
A mother of a 1 year and 7 month old boy.
He was thinking of returning to work when his son started going to kindergarten, but after hearing about the burden on the medical field due to the corona sickness, he became aware of the advancement of the time to return to work.
However, I am not confident that I will be able to clear the hurdles such as what to do with my son's depository when I return to work and whether there is a workplace that meets the working conditions I want, so by the time I actively seek employment myself Not reached.
Mr. Sano was not aware of the existence of a notification system to the nurse center, so he was not the target of the efforts of the Nursing Association.
We believe that we can consider returning to work even more positively if we are encouraged by a reliable institution and feel free to consult with us.
Chiharu Sano
"I think there are many potential nurses like me all over the country. Maybe I don't have any children and I want to move right away, but there are so many people who are a little too far away from the scene and scared. I think that there are many people who want to go back if there is a little training or support, and if you call me, if you push your back, I will try my best. I think there are many nurses. "
The pillar of the measure is the utilization of the My Number system
The current situation in which the information of potential nurses is insufficiently grasped has been repeatedly taken up in the current ordinary Diet session.
Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Tamura
"I'm currently preparing to manage the national qualifications of nurses through my number. I'm currently considering a mechanism to send information to the person at various times. I want to create a mechanism. "
This mechanism, which Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Tamura introduced as a measure under consideration,
makes it easier to grasp information on potential nurses by utilizing the My Number system.
Specifically, by using the dedicated site "Mina Portal" of the My Number system to register in the country when a nurse qualification is obtained, the system can be utilized to provide information on qualifications. A new system to manage the above will be put in place by 2024.
And, on the premise of the consent of the person, by linking with the address information linked to My Number, it will be easier to grasp the latest address etc. even for those who moved without notifying after leaving the job.
For potential nurses who want it, the nurse center will provide job information through the "Miner Portal" and hope to use it to encourage reemployment.
"I want to get contact information for everyone"
However, it has been pointed out that "immediate effect is low" for this new mechanism.
This is because, while it can be expected to be effective in grasping the information of those who will acquire the qualification of a nurse from now on, it is optional for incumbent nurses and those who are already potential nurses. It is necessary to have the qualification registered with "", and it is unclear whether or not it will be accepted.
Others may not want to provide information for personal reasons.
The Nursing Association has expressed hope for the start of a new system and is calling on the government to further strengthen the system on the premise of giving consideration to privacy so that more potential nurses can be approached.
Hamako Katsumata, Managing Director, Japanese Nursing Association
"We want to get information such as the addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of all qualified nursing staff. Nursing staff have a great sense of mission. I believe that the more you work, the more you can cooperate. I want to find people who can cooperate even in a short time of 1 hour or 2 hours and reduce the number of potential nurses as much as possible. "
Just knowing the contact information ...
But if we can get all the contact information of potential nurses, will the shortage of nurses be resolved at once?
Experts point out that the effect is limited unless we look at the more underlying problems.
Shizuoka University Graduate School of Creative Science and Technology Mia Kobayashi Specially Appointed Professor
"Many nurses are women, and when there are life events such as marriage, childbirth, childcare, and long-term care, they are forced to leave their jobs. It is the biggest cause of creating a teacher. There are also problems such as having night shifts, not being able to take time off, and having a hard job. How to prepare the working environment after returning to work is a big issue, and night shifts I think it is necessary to devise an exemption and a reduced working hours system. "
No waiting for the shortage of nurses
With the declining birthrate and aging population and the rapidly declining population, the problem of a shortage of nurses has been pointed out as a "serious condition" even before Corona.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is also taking measures such as adding allowances for night shifts for nurses and subsidizing training costs for potential nurses to return to work.
Furthermore, since April, we are considering allowing nurses to be dispatched on a daily basis when working in nursing care facilities or facilities for the disabled.
There is also an aim to encourage a return by enabling more flexible working styles.
However, through this interview, I felt a sense of crisis among the parties concerned, which is increasing at an accelerating rate due to the corona virus.
What is needed to solve the shortage of nurses?
We are at a stage where society as a whole must think about it.
#Deep digging "new coronavirus" in NHK political magazine article
Political Department Reporter
Chiaki Tatemachi
Joined the
station in
2009.
Political department from Toyama station.
In charge of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare twice.
Currently, he is interviewing the government's corona response at the official residence.
Self-proclaimed "MHLW".
Kazuteru Sakai, a
political
editor
, joined the
station in
2010.
After working at the Niigata / Nagoya / Okinawa stations, he has been in the political department since September last year.
In charge of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
"Reporter" of Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Tamura.
Naoko Baba, a
political
editor
, joined in 2015.
Political department from Nagasaki station.
In charge of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
Covered the educational administration of Corona.
"Bunka" apprentice.