This chapter describes the destination outcomes of healthcare graduates and describes the longitudinal pattern of graduates emigrating and returning over time. Only graduates with a valid PPSN and who declared their nationality as Irish were included in this analysis. Refer to the Background Notes for more information.
Graduates categorised as 'Not Captured' have no activity in the administrative data sources for that calendar year. These data sources include employment and self-employment records from Revenue, education activity from further and higher education, and records of payments from the Department of Social Protection. Most of this group are assumed to have emigrated, but there is no definitive indicator of emigration available in the administrative data. Refer to the Background Notes for more information.
Nearly 80% of Irish nursing and midwifery graduates, who graduated in 2013, were in 'substantial employment' in Ireland one year after graduation. The same proportion (almost 80%) of 2013 graduates were in 'substantial employment' 10 years after graduation. Around 5% of nursing and midwifery graduates were ‘not captured’ a year after graduation, increasing to 21% after five years and falling to 17% after 10 years. There were 16% of nursing and midwifery graduates who were classified as ‘neither in employment nor education’ one year after graduation. However, this may include individuals who were employed but did not reach the 12-week employment threshold required to be categorised as in ‘substantial employment’.
Almost all Irish medicine graduates, who graduated in 2013, were in 'substantial employment' in Ireland in their first year after graduation. This fell to 84% two years after graduation and to 69% after 10 years.
Speech and language therapists who graduated in 2013 saw 50% of their cohort in 'substantial employment' two years after graduation, while 41% were 'not captured'. By 10 years after graduation, 77% of speech and language therapy graduates who graduated in 2013 were in 'substantial employment' while the proportion 'not captured' dropped to 21%.
The destination outcomes are defined in the Background Notes and are available for all higher education graduates in a previous release, Higher Education Outcomes - Graduation Years 2010-2019.
Of all Irish medicine graduates who graduated in 2013, around one-in-three (30%) were ‘not captured’ for at least one year in the 10 years since they graduated. Of these, two-in-five (39%) later returned within the same 10-year period. This proportion remained broadly similar across the graduation cohorts from 2010 to 2013 over a 10-year period.
Of all Irish nursing and midwifery graduates who graduated in 2013, 37% were ‘not captured’ for at least one year in the 10 years since they graduated. Of these, 62% later returned within the same period.
Of the Irish occupational therapy graduates, who graduated in 2013, 43% were ‘not captured’ for at least one year in the 10 years since they graduated. Of these, 65% later returned within the same period.
The proportion of medicine graduates who are 'not captured' for at least one year during the first five years after graduation rose from 23% of 2010 graduates to 32% for 2018 graduates. However, the proportion who returned also increased from 40% for 2010 graduates to 49% for 2018 graduates.
For nursing and midwifery, the proportion who are 'not captured' for at least one year during the first five years after graduation has decreased from 36% for 2010 graduates to 20% for 2018 graduates. The proportion who returned has also decreased from 41% for 2010 graduates to 24% for 2018 graduates.
For graduates who have been 'not captured' in the administrative records for at least one year, Figure 3.2 shows when they were first 'not captured' for graduation cohorts from 2010 to 2013. These graduation cohorts had 10 years of outcomes data available which enables comparisons with each other.
If nursing and midwifery graduates have been 'not captured' in the administrative records, this occurred within the first three years after graduation for over 70% of graduates. Over 80% of nursing and midwifery graduates in 2010 were ‘not captured’ for the first time within three years since graduation. This proportion fell to 70% for 2013 graduates.
Over half of medicine graduates were ‘not captured’ for the first time within three years since graduation. This was broadly similar across graduation cohorts from 2010 (57%) to 2013 (55%). Around 20% of medicine graduates were 'not captured' for the first time between 8 and 10 years after graduation.
Around 70% of the 2010 to 2013 occupational therapy graduates who were 'not captured', were recorded as such within the first two years after graduation.
Figure 3.3 shows the number of years that graduates were 'not captured' in a ten-year period since graduation for cohorts from 2010 to 2013. Over 60% of 2010 to 2013 nursing & midwifery graduates were never categorised as ‘not captured’ in the 10 years since they graduated. Around 10% of nursing and midwifery graduates were ‘not captured’ for more than eight years out of the ten-year period.
Over 64% of medicine graduates in the 2010 to 2013 cohorts were never categorised as ‘not captured’ in the 10 years since they graduated. A further 8% to 10% of medicine graduates have been ‘not captured’ for just one year out of the ten-year period. Amongst 2013 medicine graduates, only 8% were ‘not captured’ for more than eight years out of the ten-year period.
Over half of physiotherapy graduates have been 'not captured' for at least one year out of the ten-year period. Around 10% of physiotherapy graduates in 2013 were 'not captured' for one year and two years out of the ten-year period while another 10% were 'not captured' for all 10 years after graduation.
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