'Lack of jobs' for trainee nurses warns RCN

The Royal College of Nurses has warned that thousands of newly qualified nurses and other health professionals will be without jobs by the time they graduate this year. A survey of 20 universities suggested that more than 80% of nurses qualifying this summer have yet to find a job, compared to 30% this time last year.

Some trusts have imposed recruitment freezes because of mounting deficits.

The Department of Health said jobs existed for newly qualified nurses but they needed to be flexible on location.

The department described the survey as "limited" - and said it ignored the fact that the number of nurses working in the NHS had increased by 85,000 since 1997.

The Council of Deans, which represents health faculties and did the research, said the situation was very serious.

Student debt
It warned of significant consequences for unemployed nurses who have incurred considerable student debt, and fears course applications may be affected by the bleak outlook.

The Royal College of Nursing said the figure was "shocking" and nurses are desperately needed, despite NHS job cuts.

The survey also suggests only a quarter of students who have already graduated from one London university have found work.

And just 5% from a North East Midwifery faculty have secured a post.

The Department of Health said as a consequence of measures taken to reduce vacancy rates, there was now more competition for jobs, it added.

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Health Direct noted that in Scandal of the jobless doctors the British Medical Association warned that many junior medics will be left without a job when their contracts expired.

The BMA’s survey of recent graduates - who each received around £250,000-worth of training - found many without work were now considering leaving the country, switching career, or even claiming unemployment.

It is not just Doctors and nurses that will be potentially be left with huge student debts having been given false promises by Bliar.

Some Physiotherapy training courses have now been cut back to the level of three years ago as the majority of the most recently qualified graduates are also out of work.