As nurses joining the register for the first time report having to take jobs in shops, cafes and pubs as they struggle to find jobs in the NHS, we talk to one new nurse about her experience.

Although the NHS in England has more than 30,000 vacancies, many newly qualified nurses are facing unemployment and considering leaving the profession before their careers have properly started.

York University nursing graduate Amy Mann was shortlisted for the RCN’s Nursing Student award in 2023 after founding Kathleen’s legacy, which provides comfort to patients and their families at the end of life.

Now qualified and newly registered, Ms Mann has applied for 35 jobs in the NHS without success and with bills to pay, she has moved back home to Nottingham to take a job in a coffee shop.

In the latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast, Ms Mann shares her experiences trying to get a full-time job and discusses the emotional and professional impact the process has had on her, as she attempts to kickstart her nursing career.

Joining her is nurse Charlotte Collings, recruitment and retention lead at the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in Harlow.

She discusses the possible causes of the problems, such as recruitment freezes and NHS finances, and shares her advice for Ms Mann and other new nurses facing the same issues across the country.

Ms Collings also warns that by denying these skilled professionals jobs now, they could leave the country for work or even leave nursing altogether for good. 

‘If you don’t take up the skills that are in front of you, people are going leave to work for other organisations, or they might leave the country entirely,’ she tells the podcast.

‘We have had a lot of inquiries about overseas vacancies in places like Australia and Canada, because they are thinking if the UK don’t want me then I’ll go somewhere else. I think it’s an absolute shame.’

Despite the hardship Amy Mann said that she is more motivated than ever to find a role and she’s sure that the right job is waiting for her ‘rain or shine.’

For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast

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