Trained for 3 years, 2,300 unpaid hours — and still can’t get a nursing job
I qualified as an adult nurse in March after three intense years of university and over 2,300 hours of unpaid clinical placements — yet I’m still struggling to get employed.
Why? Many NHS Band 5 roles are marked as “internal applicants only”, or they demand 6–12 months of paid experience — which we simply haven’t had the chance to gain. It’s a frustrating catch-22 during a time when the NHS is desperately short-staffed.
This issue isn’t just local — it’s happening all over the UK. Newly Qualified Nurses (NQNs) are stressed, financially strained, and watching the system shut us out — despite our commitment to serve.
That’s why I’ve launched an official UK Parliament petition asking for:
A review of NQN recruitment policies
Recognition of placement hours
Structured support to ease our transition into practice
If you’ve experienced this, or if you support a stronger NHS, please sign and share:
🔗 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/725928
Thank you — your support means the world 💙
Why? Many NHS Band 5 roles are marked as “internal applicants only”, or they demand 6–12 months of paid experience — which we simply haven’t had the chance to gain. It’s a frustrating catch-22 during a time when the NHS is desperately short-staffed.
This issue isn’t just local — it’s happening all over the UK. Newly Qualified Nurses (NQNs) are stressed, financially strained, and watching the system shut us out — despite our commitment to serve.
That’s why I’ve launched an official UK Parliament petition asking for:
A review of NQN recruitment policies
Recognition of placement hours
Structured support to ease our transition into practice
If you’ve experienced this, or if you support a stronger NHS, please sign and share:
🔗 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/725928
Thank you — your support means the world 💙
Reply 1
Original post
by Bird28xxI qualified as an adult nurse in March after three intense years of university and over 2,300 hours of unpaid clinical placements — yet I’m still struggling to get employed.
Why? Many NHS Band 5 roles are marked as “internal applicants only”, or they demand 6–12 months of paid experience — which we simply haven’t had the chance to gain. It’s a frustrating catch-22 during a time when the NHS is desperately short-staffed.
This issue isn’t just local — it’s happening all over the UK. Newly Qualified Nurses (NQNs) are stressed, financially strained, and watching the system shut us out — despite our commitment to serve.
That’s why I’ve launched an official UK Parliament petition asking for:
A review of NQN recruitment policies
Recognition of placement hours
Structured support to ease our transition into practice
If you’ve experienced this, or if you support a stronger NHS, please sign and share:
🔗 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/725928
Thank you — your support means the world 💙
Why? Many NHS Band 5 roles are marked as “internal applicants only”, or they demand 6–12 months of paid experience — which we simply haven’t had the chance to gain. It’s a frustrating catch-22 during a time when the NHS is desperately short-staffed.
This issue isn’t just local — it’s happening all over the UK. Newly Qualified Nurses (NQNs) are stressed, financially strained, and watching the system shut us out — despite our commitment to serve.
That’s why I’ve launched an official UK Parliament petition asking for:
A review of NQN recruitment policies
Recognition of placement hours
Structured support to ease our transition into practice
If you’ve experienced this, or if you support a stronger NHS, please sign and share:
🔗 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/725928
Thank you — your support means the world 💙
Hi great post.
Can I ask if you studied and did placement in London or outside London?
Reply 2
You need to take this to your union. The UK has completely fudged up recruitment into healthcare by changing all the healthcare profession visa requirements and giving anyone, anywhere around the world the opportunity to work in the UK. It is madness considering that the UK tax payer has spent a pretty penny training you all. An I mean radiographers, nurses, midwives, sonographers and physiologists only to let overseas applicants swarm the country and leaving all UK university leavers with no job. It is also highly unethical for the UK to be taking in large numbers of trained professionals from poorer countries and it is a flagrant breech of UN rules designed to stop it happening.
Anyone registered with UNITE or the other unions needs to get this taken to government and fast. The British tax payer has paid for you to all be trained and expects a good number of UK trained professionals to look after them. You can blame the prior Conservative government for this mess.
Anyone registered with UNITE or the other unions needs to get this taken to government and fast. The British tax payer has paid for you to all be trained and expects a good number of UK trained professionals to look after them. You can blame the prior Conservative government for this mess.
Reply 3
I know, it sucks and its a mad weird landscape- I left NHS a few years ago and I am befuzzled by the workforce issue. That being said, we were in the same position 12 years ago, I remember also qualifying and facing a recruitment freeze- private sector has good work, chin up- you got this
Reply 4
Bird28xx
OP
4
Original post
by MidxLHi great post.
Can I ask if you studied and did placement in London or outside London?
Can I ask if you studied and did placement in London or outside London?
Hi im outside of London
Reply 5
Bird28xx
OP
4
Original post
by SubcutaneousI know, it sucks and its a mad weird landscape- I left NHS a few years ago and I am befuzzled by the workforce issue. That being said, we were in the same position 12 years ago, I remember also qualifying and facing a recruitment freeze- private sector has good work, chin up- you got this
Thank you I appreciate the comment its just so disheartening but im just gonna keep going. Ive got 66,000 signatures now so hopefully this issue can be raised again and all i can do for my own sanity is wish for change.
Reply 6
Good luck 🤞🏻 hope you get 100,000 and well done for standing up for us 🙌🏻
Reply 7
Original post
by Lottie82.ldGood luck 🤞🏻 hope you get 100,000 and well done for standing up for us 🙌🏻
The government released information this week and will guarantee jobs for NQN
Reply 8
20
Reply 9
I'm hoping this extends to radiographers, physiotherapists, pharmacists and the like? I find it insane that the government does not control how many people are entering these courses relative to the respective numbers of jobs vacant.
Reply 10
Original post
by McGingerReply 11
Original post
by Bird28xxI qualified as an adult nurse in March after three intense years of university and over 2,300 hours of unpaid clinical placements — yet I’m still struggling to get employed.
Why? Many NHS Band 5 roles are marked as “internal applicants only”, or they demand 6–12 months of paid experience — which we simply haven’t had the chance to gain. It’s a frustrating catch-22 during a time when the NHS is desperately short-staffed.
This issue isn’t just local — it’s happening all over the UK. Newly Qualified Nurses (NQNs) are stressed, financially strained, and watching the system shut us out — despite our commitment to serve.
That’s why I’ve launched an official UK Parliament petition asking for:
A review of NQN recruitment policies
Recognition of placement hours
Structured support to ease our transition into practice
If you’ve experienced this, or if you support a stronger NHS, please sign and share:
🔗 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/725928
Thank you — your support means the world 💙
Why? Many NHS Band 5 roles are marked as “internal applicants only”, or they demand 6–12 months of paid experience — which we simply haven’t had the chance to gain. It’s a frustrating catch-22 during a time when the NHS is desperately short-staffed.
This issue isn’t just local — it’s happening all over the UK. Newly Qualified Nurses (NQNs) are stressed, financially strained, and watching the system shut us out — despite our commitment to serve.
That’s why I’ve launched an official UK Parliament petition asking for:
A review of NQN recruitment policies
Recognition of placement hours
Structured support to ease our transition into practice
If you’ve experienced this, or if you support a stronger NHS, please sign and share:
🔗 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/725928
Thank you — your support means the world 💙
Hello,
Thank you for sharing the petition, I have also come across so many NQN who were struggling to find a job and it’s indeed very frustrating that the job market is limited after 3 years of training😢
-Sarah (Kingston Rep)
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