A surge in nursing applications is welcome – but there is more to it than meets the eye

Many of these aspiring nurses will have been motivated by the pandemic but retention rates have been problematic in nursing for years and are unlikely to improve, writes Ian Hamilton

Nursing applications are up by a third amid the pandemic (Getty Images)

As a nurse, it is heartening to see that applications for training are up by a third, no doubt in part due to the increased attention and value given to the profession during the pandemic. Many of these aspiring nurses will have been motivated and touched by the public warmth and admiration demonstrated by “clap for carers”. But the reason this was newsworthy is that such outpourings of support for health care staff are so rare.

Even before the pandemic we had problems with applicants for nurse training, many of whom seemed to base their prospective career on having watched Casualty or Holby City. Needless to say, even if they successfully secured a training place, these romantic notions were soon challenged when they wiped their first bottom. Retention rates have been problematic in nursing for years, many students realising in the first term the marked difference between their perception and the reality of nursing.

But that’s not the only problem. Encouraging as it is to see applications rise, there are capacity issues with training nurses. For decades, successive health ministers have been unable to resist tinkering with the total number of training places available. Some, no doubt at the treasury’s bequest, have reduced numbers, while others have increased capacity.