The Royal College of Nursing has warned of workforce shortages persisting into the next decade, as nursing student numbers continue to dwindle. Figures from the RCN project that over 32,000 nursing students are predicted to drop out of their courses by the end of the current parliament – which is enough students to fill all 31,774 vacant NHS nursing posts in England. The prediction is attributed to financial burdens, strain on the system and low pay, making the profession unattractive to students.
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‘Without action to make the career more attractive, by easing the financial burden on students and raising pay, 32,225 people enrolled on nursing courses in England could quit their degrees by 2029,’ said the RCN.
In a data analysis from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the average dropout rate for nursing students had increased to 21% since 2016, following the abolition of the nursing bursary. Student tuition fees are also set to increase from £9,250 to £9,535 in 2025 with no maintenance grants in place to support high living costs, forcing some to abandon their studies.
A recent report from the Nuffield Trust highlighted the financial instability of nursing students, stating that:
‘We heard instances of student nurses and midwives having to take on work outside their training and education to be able to afford rent and food, and instances of students facing food insecurity and needing to use food banks, compounding issues of burnout and anxiety and making it difficult for some students to carry on in their training.’
The recent 2.8% pay raise for the NHS proposed by the government has already been described as too low by the RCN, which suggest an increase in pay and loan forgiveness for nursing students to encourage them to remain and attract more to the profession.
‘The students of today are the nurses of the future. But for tens of thousands, the unbearable weight of graduate debt, lack of support with living costs and prospect of low pay is set to push them out of the profession before they qualify,’ said RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger. ‘Ministers should change course and agree a social contract with nursing students that sees pay rise and loans forgiven if they commit to working in public services.’