# data[].attributes.body
A full time mom working bank shifts as a senior carer studying a masters degree in adult nursing. Living paycheck to paycheck and may not even get a job at the end of it. Many nurses during my placements have asked either why am I doing this or am I sure I want to be doing this, it's rather concerning.

# data[].attributes.headline
This is the worst I have ever known the recruitment of NRNs

# data[].attributes.subject
This is the worst I have ever known the recruitment of NRNs

# data[].attributes.body
I have been registered for over 30 years and this is the worst I have ever known the recruitment of NRNs. It is a criminal waste of money to train these excellent people who are so vital and needed to the healthcare workforce and then leave them hanging.

# data[].attributes.headline
Feeling desperately sad for the current qualifying generation of nurses who do not have jobs to go to

# data[].attributes.subject
Feeling desperately sad for the current qualifying generation of nurses who do not have jobs to go to

# data[].attributes.body
I have been qualified for 16yrs. I never thought my vocation would be at risk. Fully appreciate and respect the national need to save money but horrified that this is at the cost of holistic care, safe staffing ratios and complete disregard for staff wellbeing.

All staff at all levels (though predominantly up to B7) are at an increased risk of burn out. However the worry is, if you require a prolonged period off work for sickness whether physical or mental, will you have a job to return to? Or will a review have occurred where the team managed without you therefore your role and WTE funding can be quoted as a saving?

Feeling desperately sad for the current qualifying generation of nurses who do not have jobs to go to. Not only is this disheartening for them after their long and hard efforts during their studies it’s also a financial burden as fees etc. have been paid for these years. It also does not allow for the condensation of essential knowledge at the peak of their completion of higher education which will in turn create less confident practitioners in the future if they are able to secure employment.

I think trusts need to look at their management structures, reevaluate the mountain of paperwork per patient and instead of spending money on cultural work (although necessary) focus the spending on more clinical positions mitigating the stretched ratios due to staffing gaps caused by sickness (mostly anxiety/ mental health and injuries caused by poor manual handling).

Staff from specialist areas such as children’s services are frequently redeployed to adult inpatient areas and ED’s to support with staffing gaps, yet rarely this is returned. Children’s nurses have not had any formal adult nursing training and are expected to practice in an unfamiliar environment with minimal to no support.

This staff group, understandably feel anxious about any redeployment, therefore there is an increased level of sickness when this occurs.

I feel very strongly that the current funding needs to be look at as it simply is not working as it should.

Very concerned about an increase in patient mortality and morbidity, as well as treatment errors because of unsafe staffing and high pressured situations for example stretch ratios meaning the focus is not fully on the current task.

# data[].attributes.headline
As Chief Nurse, you and your team need to fight for release of nursing posts to newly qualified nurses and career progression.

# data[].attributes.subject
As Chief Nurse, you and your team need to fight for release of nursing posts to newly qualified nurses and career progression.

# data[].attributes.body
I spent 25 years in clinical practice and 20 years educating pre registration student nurses and am fully aware of the on going constraints on the NHS. The public demand consistently high quality care, but this cannot be delivered by a skeleton staff of nurses. Research based evidence consistently demonstrates that high quality nursing care delivers improved patient outcomes. As Chief Nurse, you and your team need to fight for release of nursing posts to newly qualified nurses and career progression. There needs to be proactive planning regarding recruitment to university courses that will meet the required future demands.

# data[].attributes.headline
Having to apply to cafes, or shops just to earn some money and not utilising our degree

# data[].attributes.subject
Having to apply to cafes, or shops just to earn some money and not utilising our degree

# data[].attributes.body
I have just completed my nursing degree as an adult student nurse and I am currently awaiting my pin. When you first start your university degree and all throughout 3 years, you are constantly told you will always be able to have a job and there will always be opportunities out there for you. This is in fact incorrect. There are no nursing jobs or opportunities for newly qualified nurses, and if there are they all close early because of the high volume of applicants, they cap they’re applicants to a low number or they require 1 years minimum experience. How can someone who has never worked independently as a registered nurse before have 1 years experience. It is totally unfair. People go into this degree with hopes to be able to financially support their family better or have more money, they are unable to to this leaving them jobless. Myself as a young professional, and others are having to apply to cafes or shops just to earn some money and are not utilising our nursing degree. Everyone has worked just as hard and deserves a job from our degrees. If there are a shortage of jobs why are universities taking on so many students? Is this just for the money? In addition, qualified nurses who wish to leave their current position for different reasons are unable to as there is not job security if they did this.

# data[].attributes.headline
The uncertainty facing student nurses approaching qualification 

# data[].attributes.subject
The uncertainty facing student nurses approaching qualification 

# data[].attributes.body
I am an Integrated Master of Science Adult and Child Nursing student, and I am about to enter my final year of training.

For years, I have dedicated so much of my life to becoming a nurse. My journey has involved lectures, assignments, examinations, clinical placements, early mornings, long shifts, challenging experiences and countless hours of hard work.

I have continued to push through the difficult moments because I have always believed that there would be a career waiting for me at the end of it.

Like many student nurses, I entered nursing with the understanding that it was a profession where employment opportunities were strong. We were often told that nursing was one of the careers where you would always be able to find a job.

Now, as I approach my final year, I find myself questioning that certainty.

I am hearing concerns from students about employment opportunities after qualification, including:

“You have to have your PIN to apply.”

“There’s a lack of jobs despite the NHS needing more nurses.”

“You aren’t guaranteed a job upon qualifying.”

For many of us, this has created a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty.

We have spent years developing our knowledge, clinical skills and professional identity. We have cared for patients and families, worked alongside multidisciplinary teams and experienced the realities of healthcare through our placements.

We are not expecting a job to simply be handed to us.

We are asking for the opportunity to put the knowledge, skills and experience we have worked so hard to develop into practice.

There is also a difficult contradiction that many students are struggling to understand:

If the NHS needs more nurses, why are future nurses becoming increasingly uncertain about whether employment opportunities will be available to them when they qualify?

As I enter my final year, I am incredibly proud of how far I have come. However, alongside that pride is uncertainty about what happens next.

I know I am not alone in asking:

Where will I work?

Will I be able to secure a Band 5 position?

Will there be opportunities available when I qualify?

What does the future of nursing employment look like for students entering the profession?

I would genuinely welcome the perspectives of registered nurses, student nurses, newly qualified nurses, educators, NHS leaders and recruiters.

What are your experiences and views on the current employment landscape for newly qualified nurses?

For those of us approaching the end of our degrees, having clarity about what lies ahead would mean a great deal.

We have worked incredibly hard to become nurses.

We simply want the opportunity to begin our careers.

# data[].attributes.body
I have mentored so many dedicated and very enthusiastic students who work so hard throughout their training and then can't find employment. This is so wrong, particularly when they are paying university fees and working full time on placements. There is a shortage of nurses and making cutback after cutback is impacting both our patients and the morale of existing staff.

# data[].attributes.body
I'm newly qualified registered nurse since last January and I'm not getting a job within the NHS. I feel frustrated after 3 good years of studies.

# data[].attributes.headline
Happy to relocate and forget about my nursing qualification

# data[].attributes.subject
Happy to relocate and forget about my nursing qualification

# data[].attributes.body
I'm 43. I went back to uni because of nursing shortages on my ward. Now I'm thousands of pounds in debt and not a job in sight. Student finance will never get their money if I remain unemployed and I have discouraged my children against going to university because it's not worth the debt. Universities will soon close as long as we don't have any jobs. I was planning on going back to do a masters but not anymore. I'm happy to relocate permanently and forget about my nursing qualification.

# data[].attributes.body
I’ve basically qualified as a child nurse now, but guess what? There’s no jobs. The hospital that’s meant to help children and give them a chance to heal is understaffed. These are children. It’s ridiculous that funding cannot be put aside to give us NQN jobs. Registered nurses are tired, most band 6 are leaving due to the lack of support and fatigue. What is it going to take for employment to happen? Deaths? We’re meant to be building the future, not destroying it. On many occasions I’ve been in understaffed wards, but theses two times shocked me to the core:

1. Myself and my supervisor had to be moved to another ward and I was shocked and disgusted to find originally there were only 2 nurses (of which one was the nurse in charge who doesn’t usually have patients) on shift. Is this considered safe numbers? There was a 7-week-old baby amongst 8 other patients, a number of whom were high dependency.

2. A ward where it’s specifically 1:1 turned into 2:1 - this was highly unsafe due to the nature of the patients there.

This needs to stop. Every student nurse, registered nurse, medic, healthcare assistant, anyone in this field of job battles hard every single day to make a difference to these children’s lives. Myself and many others find it unfair how backs need to be broken, breaks skipped, with minimum wage for the nurses who provided that one to one care with the patients and have to go through this shortage like it’s a fun game. IT NEEDS TO STOP. I plead with you, make a change.

# data[].attributes.body
I have been qualified for 8 years. I was very happy in my senior role equivalent to Band 7 as an HIV nurse in the charity sector. The inpatient unit relied upon a large proportion of funding from the NHS. This was suddenly withdrawn, the IPU had to close and I was made redundant. I spent 13 months applying for posts until accepting a Band 5 role in my local NHS Trust in SAU. I have taken a huge blow to my confidence and feel like I am starting my career all over again. I lost my flat, ran up loads of debt and had severe depression, suicidal thoughts and anxiety which I am still struggling with. The past couple of years have been hell. There are so few jobs available and despite my experience I am not even getting to interview stage. I don’t enjoy my Band 5 role in SAU and cry before and after every shift but I have no other options and I suppose, have to be grateful I eventually found employment. My heart goes out to the newly qualified nurses unable to secure their first nurse role. It should be a time filled with motivation, excitement and feeling proud of your achievements. Although my happiness in my career was cut short, I can say that when you find a nursing role you love there is no better feeling. I am trying to remain optimistic through tough times. The Govt needs to fix this terrible situation that is causing harm to Nurses and Patient Safety NOW!

# data[].attributes.headline
Looking for employment since November 2025

# data[].attributes.subject
Looking for employment since November 2025

# data[].attributes.body
I have been looking for employment since November 2025. I still haven't secured employment due to recruitment freeze in South Yorkshire.

# data[].attributes.headline
All jobs I applied for I was turned down from

# data[].attributes.subject
All jobs I applied for I was turned down from

# data[].attributes.body
I was qualified in 2024, but I struggled to get a job. I worked for a hospital as a Bank Healthcare Assistant, as soon as I qualified the remove me from the bank, and all jobs I applied for I was turned down from... I now work as a self employed carer and am doing regular self learning to build my hours for my revalidation.

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I was fortunately one of the lucky few who got a preceptorship job offer out of my 2025 cohort. Unfortunately, there are still people in my cohort who are unable to get a nursing job role. We were promised access to jobs in our trust and this was then scrapped in 2024. It is truly disheartening working 2300 hours of placement and putting your heart and soul into the degree and then paying for the PIN to be unable to get any form of nursing job.

# data[].attributes.body
I qualified as a mental health nurse last year with no jobs to apply for as they all required “at least 6 months of experience”, leaving me unemployed for months. I was even willing to move cities or commute over an hour to a job that would provide me the opportunity to start my career. On the rare occasion I did eventually find a vacancy for a newly qualified nurse, the vacancy would close almost a week before deadline causing a lot of distress, frustration and upset feeling like I was back to square one again. It made me lose hope and made me feel like 3 years of hard work and 2300+ was all for nothing. Other jobs I had the opportunity to apply for would instantly decline my application, not even offering an opportunity for an interview. Eventually after several months, I am grateful that the Priory finally gave me the opportunity to start my career in nursing and develop my nursing skills by offering me a preceptor role. I have received a lot of support in my preceptor role and I am constantly learning more and more each shift which I am very grateful for!

# data[].attributes.body
I qualified in 2023 just before the job situation got this bad - I really feel for all those who have put in 3 years of unpaid work to get their degree only to be told there's no vacancies for them.

# data[].attributes.body
We cannot put students through financial hardship through paying for their training if there are no jobs at the end - it is unfair and an abuse.

# data[].attributes.body
Newly qualified, worried about finances, can’t get a job, or get any help from benefits.

# data[].attributes.body
Since l graduated l have been applying for a job as a newly qualified nurse and all l get is unsuccessful responses

# data[].attributes.headline
We are now left worrying about our own futures

# data[].attributes.subject
We are now left worrying about our own futures

# data[].attributes.body
I left a full-time Band 3 Clinical Support Worker role to enrol on a three-year degree programme, believing that the sacrifice, hard work and commitment would ultimately lead to a Band 5 role within the NHS.

However, I’m now facing a completely different reality. Not only am I unable to secure a bank role through NHSP due to the current job freeze, but I’m also increasingly worried about what the job market will look like when I finally complete my degree.

After committing three years of my life to studying, working hard and investing in my future career within the NHS, it is incredibly unsettling to now be questioning whether there will even be a role waiting for me at the end of it.

The ongoing job cuts and uncertainty are causing huge anxiety for myself and many of my peers. We entered these programmes with the expectation that we were training for a career where we would be valued and needed, yet we are now left worrying about our own futures and, perhaps more importantly, the future of the NHS itself.

# data[].attributes.headline
I am a newly qualified mental health nurse facing repeated rejections of applications

# data[].attributes.subject
I am a newly qualified mental health nurse facing repeated rejections of applications

# data[].attributes.body
Most employers prefer candidates with one to two years of post-registration experience, with some requiring at least six months. As a new graduate, I struggle to find opportunities to gain experience, especially when preceptorships that facilitate a smooth transition into the workforce are not available. This situation is both frustrating and exhausting. Universities, the NHS, and the Government urgently need to hold a summit to tackle this issue and establish a nursing job guarantee scheme to create roles for newly qualified nurses.

# data[].attributes.body
Nursing students are being taken advantage of being expected to work for free, pay fees and then struggle to find jobs

# data[].attributes.headline
People ended up on waiting lists to get jobs

# data[].attributes.subject
People ended up on waiting lists to get jobs

# data[].attributes.body
I just took whatever job I could get when I qualified because the options were so limited. There was barely any job adverts and people ended up on waiting lists to get jobs. I went through my degree being told I would get to choose what job I would get by the end but that couldn’t happen.

# data[].attributes.headline
The lack of nursing vacancies across the board for all banding is at an all time low 

# data[].attributes.subject
The lack of nursing vacancies across the board for all banding is at an all time low 

# data[].attributes.body
The lack of nursing vacancies across the board for all banding is at an all time low as a result there is no opportunities for progression and there is total lack of investment in nursing. This needs to change, or as the experienced nurse I am, along with others, I will get burnt out and leave for reasons of ill management and governance, and lack of investment. It’s a sad state of affairs - how has this country let this happen? Where’s the clapping now on the door step? Don’t forget we are a generation that have been through this and this a resilient lot, but taking advantage of this is sickening now. Like the Drs, we are training them to go abroad for work after qualifying - all of which is non sensical and short sighted.

# data[].attributes.body
Duncan, do your duty and support student and newly qualified nurses, if you don't want us then we will follow the newly qualified paramedics from the welsh universities and chase jobs in Australia, New Zealand and Canada!!!

# data[].attributes.headline
We need the next generation to be nurtured and supported

# data[].attributes.subject
We need the next generation to be nurtured and supported

# data[].attributes.body
Experienced nurses are retiring, we need the next generation to be nurtured and supported in becoming experienced and confident - as has always been historically - why are our home trained nurses being shut out and denied this right of passage? What on earth is happening to our Nursing Profession, and how short sighted by the people responsible. I can look back over the 30 years of my career and see how valuable our student nurses and newly qualified nurses have been. If they are denied employment due to lack of experience then what comes first the chicken or the egg?

# data[].attributes.body
I just finished Mental Health Nursing and l am stressed that l do not have a job yet. Staying at home will affect my own mental health.

# data[].attributes.headline
Qualified almost a year and yet to find employment

# data[].attributes.subject
Qualified almost a year and yet to find employment

# data[].attributes.body
I have been qualified almost a year and yet to find employment as a band 5 nurse. I graduated with first class honours, the Golding award and still haven’t secured my first position.

# data[].attributes.headline
I am not guaranteed a job within my trust

# data[].attributes.subject
I am not guaranteed a job within my trust

# data[].attributes.body
Due to the employment crisis for newly qualified staff members, despite being on a secondment whilst I complete my top up degree from RNA to RN, I am not guaranteed a job within my trust. I have post qualification experience in emergency nursing as a nursing associate and this is being disregarded.

# data[].attributes.body
I want to study nursing in the future but am hesitant now due to the fact nursing students are not finding employment.

# data[].attributes.body
Students I have mentored over the last 3 years are without jobs. Many were mature students. They have already sacrificed so much to train, putting social lives, financial security and struggles to balance family lives in order to reach this point. It's unfair and a betrayal to deny them the chance to consolidate and move through preceptorship.

# data[].attributes.body
The future of nursing will be impacted immensely without the development of future nurses, we were all student nurses at one point in our career, we were always guaranteed a career for life. The thought of students who have dedicated three years of their life, blood sweat and tears, financial sacrifices, impact on mental health, being an absolute fundamental part of the nursing workforce with the crucial contribution students bring, to not be able to find a job is almost unbearable to think of. All those skills they have honed, their motivation and dedication to the nursing code and they are having to stack shelves for a living, this situation is unfathomable. How will we nurse our aging population, how will we care for any individual in need, how will the nhs continue to stand without new nurses? This situation must be addressed as soon as possible. Nurses are preparing for retirement throughout the country, jobs need to be made available for our student nurses immediately.

# data[].attributes.headline
This is NOT a new issue and we deserve better

# data[].attributes.subject
This is NOT a new issue and we deserve better

# data[].attributes.body
Travelled 100 mile round trips as a newly qualified, just to secure a post. This is NOT a new issue and we deserve better.

# data[].attributes.body
I am a student nurse due to qualify within the next 6 months. I am actively seeking jobs outside of nursing in preparation to qualifying as there are no jobs in my area. I look on NHS jobs every single day. I work bank in the local trust to network with wards / units to seek employment when I qualify. I left a government career to become a nurse, I have trained for 4 years with an additional 2 years experience in care to prepare me for my nursing degree, just to be told now that there are no jobs. It’s very disheartening and terrifying to know that all you’ve worked for isn’t enough to be employed. There needs to be a change.

# data[].attributes.body
I’ve seen the landscape of nursing change radically over the past 3 years and now British nurses cannot get jobs in their own countries. Why?

# data[].attributes.body
Have been looking at jobs available for the past 6 months and there is almost no Band 5 and preceptor jobs, vast majority are Band 6. Or the Band 5 jobs available are in completely different areas of the country and likely to be extremely competitive. It adds a lot of anxiety and knowing that I may pay for a whole degree including countless hours of placement without a job at the end is scary and disappointing.

# data[].attributes.body
I graduated Sep 2025 at the age of 55, I have applied for every job that has been posted and have remained unsuccessful.

I feel so lost without purpose.

# data[].attributes.headline
She worked so hard to achieve her nursing degree

# data[].attributes.subject
She worked so hard to achieve her nursing degree

# data[].attributes.body
I graduated with my mom (yes we both trained together the full 4 years). I’m so lucky to have walked straight into my role as an ICU nurse but I had the advantage of spending my full last year as an ICU nurse student.

My mom on the otherhand, has remained unemployed since graduating Sep 2025. She’s applied for every job in our area, had multiple interviews and keeps being passed over.

It’s disgusting actually. She worked so hard to achieve her nursing degree, but has been made to feel like she’s irrelevant and not appreciated by both the university and trust that we trained with.

# data[].attributes.headline
The search for nursing roles was so demoralising. 

# data[].attributes.subject
The search for nursing roles was so demoralising. 

# data[].attributes.body
I was unemployed for 6 months then had to work a year in a job I hated before finally finding my current job where I'm happy. The search for nursing roles was so demoralising.

# data[].attributes.body
I am coming to the end of my 3 year journey to become a nurse. Like everyone else in the same boat.

At the end of the day we all have the same dream, to become a nurse with care and compassion to give.

I can't get a job. I have applied for 8, not getting short listed. Had one interview saying I need more experience how much can student give, the only experience we have is placements.

The cuts back are completely crazy, yes I understand the NHS need to save money but at the sometime it needs more nurses to run well.

To support the RNs, the student nurse are there in the background. How are we to support our own families. And what is the future going to look like for the next generation?

I am lucky that I have a part time job, I am starting to feeling like the 3 year of hard work, sweats and tears are for nothing.

# data[].attributes.headline
To find out a may not even be able to get a job after finishing my degree is truly heartbreaking

# data[].attributes.subject
To find out a may not even be able to get a job after finishing my degree is truly heartbreaking

# data[].attributes.body
I am going into my 3rd years of my integrated masters degree. I have worked part time at McDonald’s since starting university to just be able to get by with basic necessities on top of university costs which my maintenance, and bursary together just barely cover. I work part time during my placements as well often working 7 days a week just to make sure I can survive with travel and food for placement. To find out a may not even be able to get a job after finishing my degree is truly heartbreaking especially with the sacrifices that have been made to complete the degree.

# data[].attributes.body
I qualified as an Adult Nurse after three years of studying, learning and completing clinical placements. I worked hard to build my knowledge, skills and confidence, believing that once I qualified and became a Registered Nurse, I would finally have the opportunity to begin my nursing career.

It has now been around six months since I qualified, and I am still struggling to secure my first nursing position. During this time, I have applied for numerous Registered Nurse vacancies and have been invited to five NHS interviews. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful each time. Although I understand that competition is high, repeated rejection has been very difficult to cope with, especially after investing three years of my life into becoming a nurse.

At times, I have started to question my own abilities and wonder whether I am good enough to be a nurse. The constant applications, interviews and rejection have affected my confidence and made me feel isolated and emotionally exhausted. There have been moments when I have felt so discouraged that I have stopped wanting to apply for more positions.

What hurts the most is knowing that I have worked so hard throughout my training and gained experience across different clinical settings, yet I am finding it difficult to get someone to give me that first opportunity. I do not expect everything to be easy, but I simply want the chance to demonstrate what I can do, continue learning and develop into the nurse I worked so hard to become.

I am sharing my story because I know there may be other newly qualified nurses going through the same experience and feeling that they are alone. Being unsuccessful in getting your first job does not mean that you are not capable or that your three years of hard work were wasted.

I am still a nurse. I am still learning. And although my confidence has been affected, I hope that one day someone will give me that first opportunity and allow me to prove myself.

# data[].attributes.body
Coming to the end of my nursing journey and knowing I’ve put blood, sweat and tears into this degree to not be able to apply or even have a chance of getting a job at any of my trusts is very disappointing. Nursing degrees consist of 2300 hours of placement hours. To put so much time into it has really put me off with continuing to even want to qualify as a nurse. I’ll be looking into different masters to hopefully get a job.

# data[].attributes.body
I have been qualified as a nurse since January 2026 . I got into nursing as previously I have been a support worker and healthcare assistant working in the health and social care industry since I was 16 and nursing seemed like the natural next step in my career. I took every opportunity from international placements and places like Croatia, Fiji and South Africa and going to RCN Congress learning BSL and I'm going to conferences around learning disability nursing. Despite this I have always been told since been looking for my job to come back in 6 months time when I've got more experience or they have too many newly qualified nurses and it's just not what they're looking for.

# data[].attributes.body
I've been applying for months on end to no avail. Beginning to question whether nursing is really for me.

# data[].attributes.headline
It is devastating that our almost unique NHS is failing those wishing to join it

# data[].attributes.subject
It is devastating that our almost unique NHS is failing those wishing to join it

# data[].attributes.body
Having begun my nurse training in 1983 it is so disappointing the way nurse training has changed over the years. Whilst there are such significant needs within the NHS, those who have been trained are not considered to have the skills required. Surely nurse training needs to be addressed, to ensure the skills required have been gained through the process.. I am now retired from the profession that I loved, it is devastating that our almost unique NHS is failing those wishing to join it.

# data[].attributes.headline
I feel so discouraged with rate of declined applications

# data[].attributes.subject
I feel so discouraged with rate of declined applications

# data[].attributes.body
I am a 3rd year Adult nursing student and I must say I feel so discouraged with rate of declined applications and also requirements stating 1 year post registration. The NHS do need staffs but still the rate of decline in employment is high. How can safe staffing and patient safety be met when the wards are short staffed and the ratio of patients to nurses are alarming. I hope something can be done.

# data[].attributes.body
I have just finished my nursing degree in paediatrics and have been looking for a job for a long time however there are none, most require at least a years post grad experience and currently where I live they are in an employment freeze. While I was willing to relocate for a job, this is not feasible due to the cost of living crisis so I was looking up to 2 hours away. However no, there are no jobs. I know many nursing students who have not been able to get jobs and many that were applying in different fields such as adult nursing. However in the hospital they applied for they were told just before their interviews that they were getting cancelled as they don’t have the budget to hire anyone. It is a disgrace, for all those who have worked so hard and tirelessly for the NHS yet have no job to show for it.

# data[].attributes.body
My placements I have experienced as a student nurse have all fallen below the standard I’d expect. Yes we get nursery, but so do a lot of different healthcare degrees that do not require the same amount as physical practice as student nurses. Therefore, I have a part time job alongside full time nursing placements to help me get by. It is stressful, I have caught the flu on every placement I have been on but have still never taken a sick day because I am scared of being behind in hours, this puts both mine and my patients safety at risk. We sacrifice so much during our degrees yet we are left with nothing in the end, no jobs, paying for the NMC, is it really worth becoming a nurse? Quality placements would better prepare us for graduate jobs than the quantity of hours we have to complete.

# data[].attributes.body
I finished my degree in September 2025, having already been job searching for 6 months, I started my job in April 2026 after many rejections on application and interview. The job market is extremely competitive and demoralizing. Now I have a job, the staffing issues are terrible, we desperately need this next cohort to be supported into employment to maintain services but also begin to support the government aims such as prevention and new mental health services. While I couldn't get a nursing job, I really struggled to get a normal job due to my nursing degree, if I had less privilege or more responsibilities, turning my back on nursing would have been the only choice. The whole time I was told things were getting sorted, my region were doing things to help, nothing ever came to fruition, the reality is without funding no one can do anything. This cycle of cohorts facing unemployment in nursing has to stop.

# data[].attributes.headline
To those responsible for educating, supporting and retaining the next generation of nurses

# data[].attributes.subject
To those responsible for educating, supporting and retaining the next generation of nurses

# data[].attributes.body
Of course nursing requires resilience. But if students are routinely experiencing burnout, financial pressure and exhaustion, the answer cannot simply be to tell them to become more resilient. We need to ask why the system requires so much resilience in the first place. This matters because student experience directly affects workforce retention. We cannot continually talk about recruiting nurses while ignoring what we are asking people to endure before they even qualify. Students are not asking for an easy degree. We are not asking for reduced standards. We are asking to be educated properly. We need meaningful supervision, protected learning opportunities, clinicians who have the capacity to teach, assessment that measures competence rather than administrative compliance, and genuine collaboration between universities and clinical services.

# data[].attributes.body
My process: 26 applications, 3 interviews, 1 job offer. I wasn't too disappointed with that, although I saw 4 jobs that were absolutely NOT Band 5 jobs even though that was what they were advertised as (they REQUIRED post-grad qualifications). The stats do hide two key aspects which I think are important. The first was a change I made part way though, as my earlier applications were not as good as my later ones once I got a better idea of the "NHS style", which is pretty unique compared to the rest of the world. Secondly, I had invested in adding some specialist additional qualifications that were relevant to the area of nursing I was interested in. In my case, Advanced Life Support (amongst a couple of others). What absolute difference this made, I can't say, but it did provide evidence of commitment and skills which I could add into the mix.

# data[].attributes.body
Students work for free, in their training, and at times, are being called stupid. I support students and carers.

# data[].attributes.body
I have got no job yet and still believe there should be jobs for newly qualified nurses.

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The NHS is already struggling to function. We don't have enough services to meet the demand, and the services we do have are often understaffed to dangerous levels. Now we have thousands of brilliant student nurses the NHS is crying out for, but can't hire because they have no funding. Instead, they spend over a billion pounds a year on agency staff because it comes from a different budget. Why not save the taxpayer money while improving their services by guaranteeing every student nurse a job?

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I've both loved and hated this degree. I've loved the incredible patients I've met and the stories I've been privileged to be invited into. But I'd be lying if I said I hadn't felt crushed by the commute of almost 2 hours each way, either side of a 12.5-hour shift where I feel completely undervalued; by then spending weekends writing application after application at the same rate as the rejections coming in; by checking my bank balance and what I owe to student finance; and by hearing the nurses I look up to describe being utterly burnt out and wishing to leave.

I know there is so much good in nursing and so much joy. I don't want to give up on that. Yet it sometimes feels impossible to hold onto.