ABSTRACT
The likely effect of defined changes in various facets of nurse supply and demand are analysed in relation to the level of intakes to pre-registration nurse education. This chapter presents the results of a series of 'what if' analyses, using simulation modelling to project the numbers of nurses in the workforce over time. Simulation modelling is one technique for looking into the future to identify, and quantify, the outcomes of alternative policies and the effects of external events. Private acute hospitals and clinics account for about 17 per cent of total registered nurses employment in the private sector. The private sector nursing homes market, which employed 42,428 registered nurses, has been the fastest growing source of employment for nurses. The numbers in employment grew by more than 10 per cent a year until the early 1990s as the number of nursing home places grew from 20,000 in 1970 to 194,000 in 1994.
