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Background: This paper presents the findings of the Optometrists Association Australia 2009 optometric workforce study. Methods: Data from the Association's database, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Medicare Australia and the Department of Veterans Affairs were applied to create a profile of the optometric workforce in Australia, including the number of optometrists in clinical practice, the number of equivalent full-time optometrists (EFTOs), population to optometrist ratios and workloads in the states and territories and Australia overall. Results: In July 2009, 3,719 (87.4 per cent) of the 4,255 optometrists registered to practise in Australia were in clinical practice. Adjusting for the number of hours worked, there were 3,664 EFTOs. The ratio of population to EFTO was 5,944:1 overall. Ratios were higher in the states without schools of optometry (South Australia 8,631:1, Western Australia 7,687:1, Tasmania 7,615:1, Australian Capital Territory 7,635:1) and highest in the remote and lightly populated Northern Territory (9,367). The ratios were fewer than 6,200 people per EFTO in states with optometry schools: New South Wales (5,247), Queensland (5,723) and Victoria (6,126). Women comprised 45.3 per cent of the profession, while 45 per cent of the profession was aged under 40 years. The majority of the female (80.7 per cent) and male (60.7 per cent) optometrists were aged under 50 years. On average male and female optometrists worked 40.3 and 32.9 hours per week, respectively. The average time per week spent on Medicare and Veterans Affairs consultations was estimated to be 22.2 hours, varying from 20.1 hours in NSW to 30.6 hours in SA. Conclusions: Population to optometrist ratios indicate that the number of optometrists in 2009 was more than adequate to meet the needs of the community. Further analysis is needed to determine whether the supply of optometrists meets community needs at more local levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Three schools of optometry in the eastern states of Australia provide optometrists for the entire country. Concerns have been expressed about attracting optometrists to practise in the other states. This paper analyses the source of optometric qualification of optometrists practising in each state, to assess the proportion who have chosen to practise in a state different from that in which they qualified and to determine whether there are gender differences in preparedness to move to a different state. Method: Data on year and school of qualification, primary professional activity and current state or territory of practice were extracted from the Optometrists Association Australia database to determine a profile of place of qualification of optometrists in each state or territory of Australia in 2005. Results: More than 77 per cent of practising optometrists from Australian schools practised in the state where they graduated. The majority of optometrists for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), South Australia (SA) and Western Australia (WA) were New South Wales graduates; the majority of Tasmanian optometrists were Victorian graduates. Optometrists from overseas accounted for 17.3, 24.6 and 19.9 per cent of optometrists in practice in SA, Tasmania and WA, respectively, but less than 7.5 per cent elsewhere. The highest number of optometrists who had qualified outside Australia practised in NSW. Female graduates from 2000 and later were more likely to move interstate than their male counterparts. Discussion: Approximately 14 per cent of practising optometry graduates practised in states without schools, where 21 per cent of the population resided. This indicates some degree of mobility but the market needs to work further to match supply of optometric services to demand at state level. Further analysis is necessary to determine patterns of graduate movement in the years following graduation, to determine whether movement to different states is short- or long-term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper presents the findings of the Optometrists Association Australia 2005 optometric workforce study. Methods: Data from the association’s database, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Medicare and the Department of Veterans Affairs were applied to create a profile of the optometric workforce in Australia, including the number of equivalent full-time optometrists (EFTOs), population to optometrist ratios and workloads. Results: In February 2005, 2,866 (76.7 per cent) of the 3,738 optometrists registered to practise in Australia were in clinical practice. Adjusting for the number of hours worked, there were 2,712 EFTOs in Australia. The ratio of population to EFTO for Australia was 7,016. Ratios were higher in the states without schools of optometry (South Australia 9,413, Western Australia 8,810 and Tasmania 8,172) and in the remote and lightly populated Northern Territory (10,521). The lowest ratio was in New South Wales (6,053). The proportion of women in clinical practice has gradually increased since 1977 and was slightly more than 41 per cent in 2005. The percentage of the profession under the age of 40 years was 48.6. The percentages of female and male optometrists under the age of 50 were 89.3 and 72.5, respectively. On average, female optometrists worked approximately 82 per cent of the hours worked by male optometrists. The average time per week spent on Medicare and Veterans Affairs consultations was 25.8 hours. Conclusions: The profession of optometry in Australia is undergoing considerable change in age and gender make-up. In 2005, the number of optometrists was adequate for the needs of the Australian population. Further analysis is needed to determine whether the supply of optometrists meets community needs at local levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]