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Access to quality health care providers continues to be challenging in rural and remote regions of Australia with resultant gaps in health outcomes and life expectancy. There has been some focus on medical practitioner shortages in these areas, however there is limited understanding of how nursing and allied health students and early career practitioners choose locations to practice. This study aimed to provide additional information about the decision making process nursing and allied health students and recent graduates undertake when they consider rural and remote practice. This study extends an earlier exploration of medical students and junior doctors practice location decision making commissioned in 2014 by Rural Health Workforce Australia, namely 'Understanding the decision to relocate rural amongst Australian trained urban medical students and junior doctors'. This study was also informed by a review of the Australian nursing and allied health rural and remote recruitment literature of the past 10 years.

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Workforce attitudes, such as intent to stay, leave temporarily, or exit permanently from nursing, develop at an early career stage. This paper explores the mismatch between the challenges faced by nursing graduates (of whom many belong to Generation Y) in obtaining a Registered Nurse (RN) position following graduation and the continuing shortages in nurse workforce in aged care and mental health areas. Current Australian literature reveals the discontent of university graduates seeking positions in an industry that does not make arrangements to employ graduates, but concomitantly reports workforce undersupply. Areas of nursing shortages of concern discussed in this paper are aged care and mental health nursing.

A number of reasons may explain why these areas are depleted of nurses: an ageing workforce, unattractive market positions for new graduate nurses and negative perceptions of the aged care and mental health sectors. Also, numerous generational negative opinions expressed in academic literature and popular media serve to discourage newly graduating nurses from working in these areas. The paper offers potential solutions to address three main issues raised in the discussion. Firstly, addressing the shortage of new graduate positions is an effort to retain qualified but inexperienced nurses. Secondly, drawing on the pool of new graduates to supply aged care and mental health rejuvenates these specialty areas and ensures these nursing fields are well catered for. Finally, directing efforts to retain new graduate nurses is an opportunity to address the 2025 projected Australian nurse workforce shortfall.

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