Undervalued and overlooked as a nursing associate: why I left the NHS

Without a clear career pathway, others may also feel they’ll be stuck on band 4 forever

In May, after working for the NHS for more than 13 years, I left to pursue a career in the private sector.

I am a registered nursing associate – a qualification I am hugely proud of – but I started to become disillusioned with the role and the opportunities for career progression in the NHS.

Why is the NHS still confused about the nursing associate role?

I started working as a healthcare assistant in the NHS in 2008, and when the new nursing associate role was announced by NHS England in 2015, I thought it would be a great opportunity