The tight job market has seen some desperate nursing students pull out of the July state final exams in the belief that delaying until November will increase their job-hunting chances.
Nursing Council chief executive Carolyn Reed told a recent nursing forum that the students involved had told Council that they believe their employment chances were better if they waited and sat state finals in November.
“Which is a disaster. It is just such a shortsighted decision to make but they are desperate for those jobs.”
Students are only eligible for places on government-subsidised new graduate programmes for up to 12 months after completing their nursing degree.
Reed said the students involved were very concerned about when the 12-month ‘clock’ started counting down. “Their belief is that its better to wait until November and have the clock start then.”
Just under 60 per cent of the 1239 graduates applying for places in government-subsidised NETP (nursing entry to practice) or NESP (mental health) new graduate programmes were successful by the end of last year.*
A later survey of the November graduates found that by March this year, 75 per cent (about 900) had found nursing jobs but at least 185 new nurses were still looking for work.
Chief Nurse Jane O’Malley has been calling for some time for a shift from a vacancy-driven model of new graduate employment to offering a set number of ringfenced or guaranteed one-year jobs for new graduates.
“I think we need as a sector to work on how can we create a model that creates spaces for new graduates,” said O’Malley speaking at the same National NETP/NESP forum in Christchurch recently.
She said her office was working with the national nursing organisations on options for improving graduate employment including fixed-term contracts though some nurses had issues with the concept.
“People say it’s not fair to the wards because we train them and then they go or that it’s not fair to the new graduate because then they are still looking for a job.
“But I have to speak to the many new graduates who have been unemployed since last December and that’s not fair either.”
*Places on NESP mental health programmes are available to nurses who are new to mental health but have been working in other nursing areas for more than 12 months.
