31 May LAUNCH OF NEW CAMPAIGN TO BOOST NHS BY ENCOURAGING PEOPLE INTO NURSING
A new campaign to attract people from Essex into Nursing has been launched by Anglia Ruskin University, the largest provider of Nursing, Midwifery, Health and Social Care students in England.
The campaign is highly targeted within the East of England and has been designed to help fill the NHS workforce shortages. The UK government has pledged to bring 50,000 new nurses into the profession by 2030, however there’s currently nearly ¹40,000 nurse vacancies in the UK. Over the past year the nursing profession has seen a rise of 3.37% of nurses, however the NHS is still operating at 11% under required staffing levels.
Heading the charge to recruit more student nurses is Louise Jenkins, Head of School for Nursing and Midwifery in Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University. She says: “Nursing offers a job for life, it’s a very rewarding career and you can fulfil so many roles with a degree in nursing, from community nursing to intensive care as well as become a specialist in key areas, such as child or renal nursing.”
She continued: “Anglia Ruskin University offers students an outstanding learning experience, where students are taught in state-of-the-art skills labs, have their own personal tutor to support them through their degree course and are sent to placements in the region’s NHS and private hospitals as well as community settings.”
As part of the campaign ARU Nursing is also looking to challenge the stereotypical role of a nurse and showcase the variety of careers on offer, from becoming a school nurse to working in mental health nursing. With only ¹11% of nurses in the UK being male, again it’s another stereotype the campaign is looking to overcome.
Sean Haskill-Mills, 32, is a second-year student studying child nursing at ARU Cambridge and is keen to challenge the stereotype. He says: “I’m keen to shine a light on male nursing, there’s a real stigma about men in child nursing that I’m keen to change. I was heading for a career in the military but was then diagnosed with diabetes. After travelling the world, I decided to embark on a career in nursing and it’s the best decision I have ever made! I love working with children and the role is so rewarding.”
Anglia Ruskin University has already trained approximately 12,000 nurses and offers a wide range of degrees in the field, including undergraduate study in adult nursing, child nursing, mental health nursing and 4 year dual registration degrees, plus nursing associate courses. The university offers courses across its Chelmsford, Cambridge and Peterborough campuses where students benefit from state-of-the-art skills labs, hybrid learning and placements at local hospitals and with community healthcare providers.
Newly qualified nurses can expect to receive ²£27,055 per annum, whereas the average graduate starting salary ranges between ³£21,000 to £25,000 per annum.
ARU’s advertising campaign has been designed to have impact and showcase the reality of being a nurse; focussing on the patient, and the difference that nurses make in the moment when they are needed most. A series of dramatic images will be live on billboards and online over the next couple of months, designed to appeal to recruits that care and want to make a difference.
To find out more about Anglia Ruskin University’s student nursing degrees, visit www.aru.ac.uk/study/subject-areas/nursing or attend their latest Open Day on 10 June.
