How do we encourage, engage and empower school age children to make career choices that are right for them and right for the future of the NHS?
I recently attended a school careers fair where around 600 pupils passed their way through the doors of the school hall which was abuzz with chatter on future careers. Whittington Health Trust had set up a large stand with Allied Health Professionals, Doctors, Nurses and Student Nurses.
For three hours we spoke non-stop to years 9 and 11 about a future career as a healthcare professional and I don’t feel like we had the time to touch the surface of information that we can impart on the young people to help them to make decisions for their future. Some students came armed to us with questions, knowing they wanted to follow a career as a nurse. Are specific A-Levels needed? What are the placements like? What’s the interview process like for university? And many more.
Many of the boys would sidle up to the nursing area, not wanting to show interest in nursing in front of their friends, but clearly had questions they wanted answering and this was when I knew what I would write the February #NurseBloggers2020 on… How do we empower school children to make the decision to study nursing and how do we engage more boys, especially those who are already showing an interest?
There were other students who hadn’t really thought about studying nursing, but were intrigued about the different fields within nursing, some didn’t realise that we study each discipline separately. There were a lot we saw on the day who were interested in children’s nursing (which pleased me – a future children’s nurse!) as well as potential midwives.
Yes, we do need to be looking at how to empower nurses, but it needs to start with empowering school children to make the decision to study nursing at university. As nurses and student nurses, we need to tell our stories of experience, keep publicising on social media and at schools and utilise the NHS videos that have been produced to advertise nursing to showcase the rewarding career that is nursing.
Empower school children who are interested in nursing to make the decision to study, this will result in more nurses in the workforce, which will in the long run help to lower the number of vacancies. Keep open dialogue between school children and keep an eye out for potential opportunities to go into schools.
I will keep speaking to school children about nursing as a career, I hope you will too.