Why are nursing graduates facing unacceptable barriers to entry level jobs
Nursing is more than just a job, it is a vocation that requires dedication, empathy and knowledge. Given the challenges that the sector faces when it comes to recruiting and retaining staff, it would not be unreasonable to think that career paths into this noble vocation would not be unnecessarily blocked.
However, the warning that nursing students and graduates are facing “unacceptable barriers” to join the workforce suggests something is going wrong.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said that there is a shortage of NHS roles in England for graduates. It found that a third of jobs advertised in July at the entry level pay band required experience.
This suggests that either nursing courses are not building in enough experience on their programme or employers are refusing to open doors to those looking to start a career in care.
It was not that long ago that nurses were having to go on strike over pay and working conditions. Getting more qualified nurses into the workforce can only help. Their motivation and enthusiasm can even benefit ward weary colleagues.
Last year the Government launched a “graduate guarantee” that in 2025 every newly qualified nurse and midwife in England would have the opportunity to apply to join the health and social care workforce. However some graduates from 2024 still have not found roles.
Some of these graduates are at risk of disappearing into other professions at a time when there is a great need for them in nursing. The NHS has suffered from a lack of workforce planning in recent years, removing unacceptable barriers to entry level jobs should be the first step to correcting that.