New Zealand optometrists 2006: demographics, working arrangements and hours worked

Abstract

Background:Optometry is a regulated health profession in NZ, with limited student places. With 650 registered optometrists in 2005, the optometrist to population ratio was 1 : 6,291 with no apparent national shortage. If optometrists registered in NZ do not actually live there, a workforce shortage is possible. This paper presents findings from the New Zealand Association of Optometrists 2006 workforce survey of members, which aimed to profile the NZ optometric workforce and to explore factors relating to workforce capacity, job stress and future planning. Methods: A questionnaire was developed to collect information on employment status, hours worked and gender distribution of optometrists in New Zealand. It was circulated to 530 active members of the NZ Association of Optometrists representing 86 per cent of the available optometrists. Direct comparisons with the Australian optometric workforce numbers were also undertaken. Results: Of the 243 respondents, 129 (53 per cent) were male. The median age of all respondents was 39 years (46 for males and 34 for females) and 75 per cent of the respondents were aged younger than 50 years. Fifty per cent had practised 15 years or less. Ten per cent of respondents had 'time-out' during their career and this was significantly more likely for females. Nearly half the respondents were self-employed (46 per cent) and eight per cent worked as locums. Part-time employees were more likely to be female and males were more likely to be in full-time self-employment. Half the group was under 40 (51 per cent), which accounted for 86 per cent of the full-time salaried arrangements. Those aged 30 to 39 included 52 per cent of the total part-time salaried workers. The average working week was 34 hours for women and 39 hours for men; the median was 40 hours for both groups. In the typical working week, 80 per cent of an optometrist's time was spent consulting with patients and five per cent was patient-related paperwork. The distribution of work arrangements was remarkably similar among New Zealand optometrists, New Zealand GPs and Australian optometrists. In 2006, there were 619 optometrists assessed as working in New Zealand. This equated to 544 EFTOs and a ratio of EFTO to population of 1 : 7,517. Conclusions: The New Zealand optometric workforce in 2006 was sufficient to meet the overall population needs. One-third of optometrists chose to work part-time and the proportion of female optometrists has increased over the past 15 years. In the face of expected increasing demand for optometric services, a targeted expansion of the workforce appears desirable.

A cross‐sectional survey of optometrists and optometric practices in Ghana

“…The results of the study show that most optometrists in Ghana are relatively young, which could be due to the OD program being fairly new. The young age of practitioners in Ghana is comparable to similar surveys in other countries . This implies that they are likely to be in active service for many more years than in countries where they were generally older.…”

“…Other reasons, such as family, child care and household responsibilities, may influence their decision to pursue a career in optometry . Efforts to narrow the gender difference in the number of practising optometrists have been made in a number of countries . For example, in New Zealand and Australia the gender distribution is fairly equal.…”

“…Efforts to narrow the gender difference in the number of practising optometrists have been made in a number of countries . For example, in New Zealand and Australia the gender distribution is fairly equal. Consequently, optometric training institutions in Ghana may have to increase quotas for females in their admission process.…”

“…The young age of practitioners in Ghana is comparable to similar surveys in other countries. 1,[18][19][20] This implies that they are likely to be in active service for many more years than in countries where they were generally older. The youthful vibrancy may be to the benefit of the Ghana Optometric Association in the area of advocacy and better working conditions for the profession.…”

Examining the evidence base used by optometrists in Australia and New Zealand

“…Our respondents graduated in the years from 1963 to 2009, and assuming an approximate age of graduation of 20 years, their ages were likely to range from 20 to over 60 years. Comparison with published data on the ages of optometrists in the Australian 14 and New Zealand 16 workforce suggests that our sample over‐represents relatively young optometrists. Those estimated to be less than 40 years of age in the current sample represent 57 and 67 per cent of our Australian and New Zealand respondents, respectively, but 45 and 50 per cent of the optometric workforce in those countries are in this age range.…”