Despite NHS openings, nursing students experience unemployment.
Sign the letter to urge change because one-third of entry-level NHS positions are closed to graduates.
RCN Calls for Change to Nursing Recruitment Procedures
The Chief Nursing Officer for England, Duncan Burton, and NHS England have received a letter from the RCN UK Students Committee requesting reforms to nursing recruitment procedures.
According to the committee, a lack of NHS positions has left nursing graduates “stacking shelves” and prevented them from applying for at least one-third (33%) of entry-level nursing positions in England last month.
You are also welcome to sign this letter.
Nursing Graduates Need a Clear Path to Employment
According to the RCN, the Westminster government and health authorities must act quickly to ensure that this year’s nursing graduates do not experience unemployment.
The letter is requesting the following:
- a financed initial position with a preceptorship and an end to band 5 job description that requires post-registration experience, adequate for each year’s qualifying cohort
- published information on band 5 openings and advertising in England, split out by location and field, including the percentage of unfilled positions that were never advertized
- In the upcoming 10-year workforce plan, workforce planning will be in line with university recruitment; there will be enough funded positions to support the shift to care closer to home; learning disability, mental health, and children’s nursing will be specifically protected; the Strategic Priorities Grant cut will be reversed or mitigated; additional funding will be provided to retain nursing academics; and a published plan will close the gap between nursing graduates and funded positions befo
Nursing Graduate Employment and NHS Workforce Planning
In light of the growing demand and the unfilled nursing positions in the health and care industry, we think that no nursing graduate should finish their degree without a clear path to employment.
In addition to the letter from the Students Committee, the RCN has outlined a number of legislative recommendations aimed at guaranteeing career opportunities for this year’s nursing graduates.
These include giving recent grads preference on bank shifts and ensuring that they land a meaningful nursing position. We are calling for centralised relocation aid for graduates who want to relocate in order to find employment.
The band 5 job review in England and the impending NHS 10-year workforce plan are important chances to finance the appropriate amount of nurse positions based on patient need.
Nursing Students Facing Repeated Job Rejections
“I wasn’t expecting to walk straight into a job, but it was so disheartening to see rejections appear in my inbox repeatedly,” stated Sophie du Plessis, a member of the RCN Students Committee and a nursing student at King’s College London. I would be lying if I claimed that I hadn’t considered quitting nursing on a few occasions. I have also looked for jobs outside of the field.
“Everyone has seen and experienced how understaffed the nursing profession is. It is glaringly obvious on practically every shift I have worked, but there are no budgeted positions to hire us.
Nursing Shortages and Patient Safety
According to the RCN’s most recent Last Shift Survey, one in five nursing professionals in the UK stated there was a “high risk” of patient harm, and over two-thirds claimed personnel shortages were causing them to make difficult decisions about prioritising care.
However, in spite of these challenges and the fact that the NHS in England alone has over 20,000 unfilled full-time equivalent nursing positions, some registered nurses are abandoning the field entirely and others are relocating abroad.
“Nursing students are the future of the workforce and patients need them in post,” stated Patricia Marquis, Executive Director of RCN England. The next generation is facing intolerable obstacles to entering our safety-critical profession, despite the fact that services are currently experiencing record demand.
“The next workforce plan is a crucial chance to get this right. Workforce planning throughout education and health needs to be based on patient need, not reducing budgets. Advertising band 5 occupations as unsuitable for recent graduates is unethical, and firms should reconsider during the next job evaluation.
We’ll keep advocating for change while helping recently registered nurses find work.
Sign the Letter Calling for Change
Put your signature on the letter from the Students Committee urging action to enhance job prospects for recently registered nurses. Our demand for change will be stronger if more people sign.