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LAST YEAR, 300 Irish doctors got visas to work in Australia, many of whom were recently qualified.
Although medicine is regarded as a high-status, highly-skilled occupation that has traditionally provided access to good quality jobs and relatively high salaries in Ireland, the numbers of recently qualified doctors opting to continue their medical careers abroad suggests this may be waning.
I travelled to Australia last year to understand why so many Irish hospital doctors move there as part of a research project within the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland funded by the Health Research Board.
Of the doctors I interviewed, 40 had lived to Australia since 2008. Of those, 38 had last worked as Non-consultant hospital doctors before leaving Ireland and only 14 were planning to return to work in Ireland.
The stories they told illustrate some of the underlying reasons for their emigration and demonstrate how a seemingly good quality job can change over time in response to family circumstances, personal preferences and relative to what is available in other countries.
Most of the doctors I interviewed felt the Australian health system offered better working conditions, the opportunity to progress in their careers and to achieve a better work-life balance.
In contrast, their jobs in Irish hospitals resembled extreme jobs – highly stressful and pressurised, involving long working hours, high levels of responsibility and set within a context of a health system under strain.
They described a health system (in Ireland) where heavy workloads were accepted as the norm, despite the negative impact this has on all frontline health workers.
“Everyone’s overworked, that’s the hospitals in general, the nurses are overworked, the doctors are overworked, it means there’s a lot of antagonism all of the time,” one doctor said.
They spoke of the challenge of working long hours in a fast-paced environment within which everyone was “flat-out working really hard” and where they struggled to find time to take adequate rest breaks.
Even taking time off work for major life events was difficult, as this doctor explained: “My wife had complications and I was rostered to be on in the obstetric hospital… Rather than get someone else to cover my shift, they’ll roster me in the intensive care unit, so if she deteriorated it would mean [that it was] my problem anyway.”
Several doctors spoke about the negative impact this way of working had on their wellbeing.
“Nothing terrible… ever happened, but I just felt secluded and alone,” one said.
Irish health employers must acknowledge that hospital doctors are opting to emigrate, rather than accept the jobs on offer in the Irish health system.
The deterioration of medical job quality and the normalisation of extreme working since 2008 is a key driver of doctor emigration from Ireland.
Dr Niamh Humphries is a Reader in Health Systems Research in the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. She has a PhD in sociology and has worked in health workforce research since 2006.
No disrespect intended Mr Higgins but how about the lack of confidence in the government or the lack of respect from the government to the people.
The problem’s at home needs to be sorted first and then we can tackle outside problems.
How can one have confidence in the E.U. When they keep spouting the mantra of austerity while failing to penalise the banking institutions who were partially responsible for the economic collapse of some of the European countries.
Mr Higgins should look closer to home really very close.
I think Mr. Higgins is the most in touch politician in this country.
Here here Adam…
He can be in touch on €250k a year .
So could anyone.
Maybe out of touch.
Solidarity !!! Ha – what solidarity were we shown by the EU when they forced Irish taxpayers to protect bond holders? The majority of whom are german, French and British bankers!
I wish this fukking chicken hawk would just shut up! I used to respect him even after the Labour Party abdicated their principles but when he was flown home from Rome overnight to sign a bill condemning generations yet to be born with financial serfdom & then recently signed Shatters bill to shut down the phone networks I lost ALL respect for him. Man of the people… 2016 can’t come quick enough!
Ha ha chicken hawk
Here here agree lets us down I that one.
Way to go mr Higgins ….. Your the same man to gave the nod to shut down mobile phone communication system, preventing the citizens from communicating in a crisis…..stop pretending you care…
He does’ nt care – he is worried that there will be social disorder . Hopefully after what the govt has done – there will be .
”We cannot allow an economic crisis caused by speculation and unregulated markets which operated in an ethical vacuum to stall the progress of humanity, ensuring that one billion global citizens remain consigned to lives of relentless hardship and hunger.”
Actally Mickey – the figure for undernourished is three billion – and u sound like u were not the man to sign anything that might make it worse .
”Europe must take its rightful place in leading the global collaboration on poverty eradication and in the fight against hunger. ”
EU could start at home – but they have no intention of doing so – so would u give over the BS Mickey – U had your chance – and you bottled it .
Stay in your palace – like the ” socialist ” u are —— not
I have no confidence in the EU or in the EU but I strongly distrust the government and governance of Ireland.
Our elected representatives, with a few rare and worthy exceptions, have departed from the interests of the people. They may not quite be enemies of the people but they are no friends of the ordinary citizens of this benighted state.
EU has become a Bankocracy.
The EU which is basically dictated by Germany and to a slightly lesser extent France can have politicians make important decisions on other countries and its people who they will not directly have to answer to and don’t have to witness first hand the devastating effects of say austerity etc.
High unemployment rate and the rate of young men committing suicide is a perfect example because the traditional view of the role of the bread winner is distorted and financial problems can lead to stress in relationships often with tragic results.
Why hasn’t one politician demanded a national government suicide committee which incorporates all the good regional organisations like pieta house and other similar groups and throw a lot iq and funds at the project?
There is a lack of confidence in the EU because of the response of the Union to a financial crisis which hadn’t befallen the continent since the Union began. In short, the EU were not equipped to deal with the crisis and didn’t act adequately.
However, I think it gets down to government responsibility. It is far too easy for individual governments like the Irish and Greek ones now do and like the British government has done for years, to blame the EU for every fault that was, in fact, mishandling by the national govt.
First sort out the crises of confidence in Irish political leadership then worry about the EU. That said I’m looking forward to the next referendum on EU plans.
Obama is way cooler than him
At least higgins doesnt have a kill list abd send off drones to murder ” suspects ” and ionnocents — on a weekly basis .
He’s killing you softly….most people are killed by words or the stroke of a pen….. Not always a bomb or bullet..
Why not check this Higgins… Two Fingers…. To the E.U.
Nice.
Solidarity my ass the Germans have established the 4th Reich through the banking industry. Lost the battle but won the war is the German cry
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