Switching from an 11-year fitness industry career to nursing feels like a natural progression to Becky Pillidge, even though it has meant living on a reduced income while studying.
Shortages of people like Mrs Pillidge willing and able to join health and social care professions have prompted a former federal health department chief to call for local workforce training deals with universities, including more opportunities for students to "earn while you learn".
Mrs Pillidge hopes to become a graduate nurse at Canberra Health Services after finishing her degree at the University of Canberra this year.
"I really enjoy working with people and helping people and I love bossing them around in the fitness space - not that we do that in nursing so much,'' she said.
"I'm drawn towards spending time with people, really getting to know the person and being able to make sure that we do everything we can for them so that they get what they need."
Thanks partly to savings and the support of her husband, Mrs Pillidge has been able to study full-time. But she is aware not everyone can afford to do that.
"If we had come across something kind of unforeseen that was significant financially, I don't know if I could have continued, which is a shame,'' she said.
Former federal health department secretary, Adjunct Professor Stephen Duckett, said Australia's health and social care sectors are facing a workforce gap of more than 200,000 full-time equivalent staff by 2049-50.
He is proposing regional agreements or "compacts" between health and aged care providers and education providers to prevent shortages of workers in hospitals, clinics and aged care homes.
"What passes for health workforce planning in Australia is essentially a litany of failure over decades,'' Professor Duckett told a forum at the University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor's Centre of Public Ideas.
Professor Duckett said the federal health department was good at producing "glossy brochures" on workforce planning but was too far removed from service delivery to solve the problem.
In the ACT, a "coalition of the willing", including the Health Directorate, major aged care providers, universities and the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) could work together to ensure future workforce needs were met.
"Workforce planning must become more local/regional linking the health and social care providers with university and educational providers,'' Professor Duckett said.
Health and social care providers would guarantee to employ between 60 and 80 per cent of graduates from relevant courses at the partner training providers.
The compact would include opportunities for students to work part-time in the health and social care systems while they studied.
"Maybe they can start with a couple of units at CIT,'' Professor Duckett said.
"You could give them a few hours [paid work] on Fridays, rather than them working at McDonalds or Coles."
An ACT government spokesperson said several initiatives were under way to make the health workforce more sustainable.
"ACT government and health services are partnering with education providers to support flexible training models, including local study options and 'earn and learn' pathways. Support includes embedded placements, scholarships and grants,'' the spokesperson said.
