Deakin Optometry, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia.
School of Optometry and Vision Science, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Clin Exp Optom. 2021 Mar;104(2):222-228. doi: 10.1111/cxo.13122.
An assessment of the total number, demographics and geographic distribution of new entrants to the optometry profession in Australia can assist planning for workforce requirements.
Over the past decade, the number of registered optometrists in Australia has increased by 30.1 per cent, a rate that is greater than the population growth of the country (12.1 per cent). Concerns have been expressed about the size of the optometry workforce in a context of increasing numbers of graduating optometrists. This paper analyses data obtained from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) about new entrants to the profession and their initial practice location during the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2018.
A de-identified dataset was obtained from AHPRA that revealed the following characteristics of new entrants: qualification, gender, year of birth (in five-year bands), registration type, registration endorsement and principal place of practice including its Remoteness Area classification.
Data for 1,680 entrants were eligible for analysis; 80 per cent graduated from an Australian university, 12 per cent graduated from the optometry program in New Zealand, and seven per cent were graduates of an overseas university. The remaining two per cent registered via the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement, although the dataset did not include the qualification. The United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland provided the majority of overseas entrants (60 per cent). Most (75 per cent) entrants commenced practice in a major Australian city. Graduates of Australian universities tended to commence practice in the state in which they trained or an adjacent state or territory. Juxtaposed on the data outlined above is the high proportion (42 per cent) of overseas-trained optometrists commencing practice in Western Australia.
Coincident with the newer optometry programs producing graduates is the increased number of optometrists entering the Australian workforce over the past decade, with the majority commencing practice in major cities. Australia-trained optometrists tend to commence practice in the state where their training was undertaken. New entrants to the optometry profession can be generalised as graduates of an Australian optometry program, female, aged in their early-mid 20s and qualified for therapeutic practice.
评估澳大利亚验光行业新进入者的总数、人口统计学特征和地理分布情况，有助于规划劳动力需求。
在过去十年中，澳大利亚注册验光师的数量增加了 30.1%，这一增长率高于该国的人口增长率（12.1%）。人们对不断增加的验光师数量背景下的验光师劳动力规模表示担忧。本文分析了澳大利亚健康从业者监管局（AHPRA）在 2010 年 7 月 1 日至 2018 年 6 月 30 日期间获得的有关该行业新进入者及其初始执业地点的数据。
从 AHPRA 获得了一个去识别数据集，其中揭示了新进入者的以下特征：资格、性别、出生年份（每五年一组）、注册类型、注册背书和主要执业地点，包括其偏远地区分类。
符合分析条件的数据为 1680 名入职者；80%毕业于澳大利亚大学，12%毕业于新西兰的验光课程，7%毕业于海外大学。其余 2%通过跨塔斯曼相互承认协议注册，尽管该数据集不包括资格。英国和爱尔兰共和国提供了大多数海外入职者（60%）。大多数（75%）入职者在澳大利亚主要城市开始执业。澳大利亚大学的毕业生倾向于在他们接受培训的州或相邻的州或地区开始执业。与上述数据并列的是，在西澳大利亚州开始执业的海外培训验光师比例很高（42%）。
在过去十年中，随着新的验光课程培养出越来越多的验光师进入澳大利亚劳动力市场，澳大利亚的大多数验光师都在大城市开始执业。澳大利亚培训的验光师往往在他们接受培训的州开始执业。验光行业的新进入者可以概括为澳大利亚验光课程的毕业生、女性、年龄在 20 多岁中期和有资格进行治疗性实践。
