Job training is built on a simple exchange, work for experience. In theory, it’s a fair trade. The trainee receives fundamental skills while the employer benefits from their labour. But at what point does the pendulum swing too far, where the employer benefits disproportionately from this transaction at the expense of the trainees? Two recently qualified nurses, Emily and Jane, believe that within nursing training, it has.
“By the end, I was acting nurse in charge on some shifts, responsible for the care of 30 patients. It was overwhelming to be in this position as a student … real people’s lives were at stake, and I didn’t feel qualified.”
In the early stages of any career, many of us will feel that our skills are insufficient at times. But for Emily, a recently qualified nurse, these decisions could have serious consequences while she was on her placement during her 3-year degree.
Financial stress is another challenge for student nurses, with many unable to work part-time due to the long placement hours.
“£6.50 per hour… that was what I worked out I got paid after I divided my bursary money by my 2,300 placement hours.”
In other industries, she’d have been paid £11.44 per hour after turning 21. She also wouldn’t be burdened with the responsibility of people’s lives anywhere else.
Accounts of beds in corridors, insignificant pay rises, and skeleton teams have led to the treatment of qualified nurses receiving exposure in recent years, but it appears there’s a group within the NHS who are in a situation as destitute as their professional counterparts, without receiving proper compensation.
The Royal College of Nursing has estimated 32,000 students could drop out of their courses by 2029; this comes as no surprise if they are being placed in these positions on a regular basis.
This placing of trainee nurses in positions of responsibility during shifts has led to the NHS facing criticism from nursing unions in the past for using student nurses as “free labour.”
Emily echoed this sentiment; saying the course had left her feeling used at times: “It wasn’t just the financial situation that frustrated me, it was the tasks that I was asked to do. It felt at times I wasn’t actively learning, I was only there to work.” “The people in charge never seemed to get the balance right. I was either repeatedly doing mundane tasks where I wasn’t learning anything or was thrown into situations that I wasn’t qualified to handle.”
The RCN said in December that NHS reforms are under threat due to the lack of new nurses. There was an increase of just 130 applicants starting nursing courses from 2023. This is a far cry from the additional 200,000 nurses that the NHS aims to train over the next 11 years.
A second nurse thought that the lack of applicants could be a product of the extra commitments of a nursing degree, including obligatory summer placements. She said it was difficult only having 6 weeks off in the summer while her friends studying other degrees were all enjoying 4 months off. “I didn’t go on a holiday with my friends for 3 years. They were all having a great time while I was stuck on placement.”
In December, the Department of Health and Social Care reiterated calls to reduce placement hours from 2,300 to 1,800 for student nurses. This appears to be a step in the right direction for making the course a better prospect for potential applicants.
The RCN has also appealed to the government to introduce a loan forgiveness model and to give funding for living costs to students who commit to working in the NHS after graduation. They said this was vital for encouraging recruitment into the profession.
Despite the difficulties of their jobs, both nurses agreed that they don’t regret going into the profession. Sophie said: “It’s an incredibly rewarding career, and there’s no replacement for helping people out in this way… but we need more help.” Unless hours are cut, payments increased, and proper training is received, it appears the NHS’ recruitment problem will worsen. The NHS must make sure students are given the means to succeed, not just survive.
