Posted 20 September 2024 - 12:54
Posted 20 September 2024 - 12:54
News
From placements to Starbucks: new nurses struggle to find NHS jobs
Newly registered nurses (NRNs) are finding it difficult to secure NHS nursing jobs and are working as baristas, shop assistants and bar staff. In an online poll, 42% of 159 NRNs who responded said they were struggling to find work despite the current staffing crisis, as trusts impose job freezes and staff cuts that reduce the number of opportunities for new staff.
Newly registered nurses are working as baristas, bar staff and shop assistants as they are unable to find work in the NHS despite huge staffing deficit
Newly registered nurses (NRNs) are taking jobs in Home Bargains and Starbucks as they struggle to find work in the health service.
Despite more than 32,000 nursing vacancies across the NHS, many nurses report they are struggling to find a permanent job after joining the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register for the first time.
Job freezes have slashed job opportunities for new nurses
With NHS trusts and boards facing financial pressures, the NHS Confederation issued a warning in May that employers have implemented recruitment freezes and staff cuts, meaning there are a limited number of new roles on offer for those joining the workforce.
NRNs told Nursing Standard they were taking jobs in retail, coffee shops including Starbucks, bars and restaurants, education, grocery stores and even barber shops, as they were unable to find nursing work. Others said they were considering jobs in Australia.
Nursing graduates feel ‘degraded’ applying for non-nursing jobs
In an Instagram poll by Nursing Standard, 42% of 159 respondents said they were struggling to find work as an NRN.
One respondent who recently completed her nursing studies at a university in north-west England said she had applied for roles as a receptionist and at discount store Home Bargains as she is unable to find a job in the NHS.
‘It has been difficult mentally,’ she said. ‘The 2,300 practice hours are a lot and you feel drained at the end of the course. You get through by just hoping you’ll get into a job where you want to work without too much difficulty.
‘It’s degrading having to apply for other jobs when I have completed my degree. It’s disheartening, as some places aren’t willing to take me on knowing my qualifications, but there really are no nursing jobs and it is so competitive. I do worry about the future and how I will get a job, carry on with CPD and maintain my PIN.’
Whole student cohort unable to find work in local NHS trust
In Glasgow, none of the 85 children’s nurses who completed their studies at Glasgow Caledonian University earlier this year were able to secure work at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde – the biggest NHS employer in Scotland.
One NRN from the cohort told Nursing Standard that after a futile search for a nursing role, she was forced to widen her search. Having applied for more than 50 jobs, she is now working in a school as a teaching assistant supporting a young person with special educational needs.
‘I applied for more than 50 jobs, including admin roles, nurseries and schools before I got this,’ she said. ‘I am glad to have this position, but it is a low-paid role that requires no qualifications. I am just hoping something in nursing comes up in the future.’
In other news