Specialist Workforce Studies

Description and Objectives

Information Workforce Study

Health Workforce Australia is building on previous research, to more broadly investigate the health informatics workforce, with an aim to understand and quantify the workforce and issues and pressures for the workforce in this industry, and to inform possible education and training solutions.

In recent years the collection, storage and usage of electronic health data and has exponentially grown and increases in the complexity and comprehensiveness of health information systems has driven growth in demand for a specialised workforce.

Health informatics is a broad reaching discipline which could involve developing systems, inputting data, conducting research and relying on health information systems as part of daily work. This kind of work  involves a specialist workforce but could also include health professionals, nurses, clinicians, managers and policy makers where dealing in informatics forms an aspect of their work, however these people would likely still identify themselves in their primary role rather than in health informatics. Therefore the scope of this project is workers who identify themselves as part of the health informatics workforce and work full time directly with and on health information systems.

HWA is undertaking a study of the health informatics workforce to identify the drivers of demand in this area and examine and attempt to quantify the current and future demand and supply for this workforce in order to assess the magnitude of any gaps and inform education and training strategies.

Medical Physicists Workforce Study

HWA will conduct a study of the medical physicist workforce. Diagnostic Imaging Medical Physicists are responsible for three main areas, namely diagnostic radiology physics, nuclear medicine physics and radiation safety. The Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers (ACPSEM) has requested HWA examine the ability of the current and projected future supply of medical physicist workforce in Australia to meet demand for their services now and in the future. This project will link in with broader work HWA is conducting into the cancer workforce in Australia.

Further Information

Fearnley Szuster
Tel.: +61 8 8409 4613