'Uncertainty and fear' for students amid acute shortage of adult nursing roles

A COHORT of nursing students from Swansea University have been left in limbo after being told there are no graduate adult nursing jobs available through Swansea Bay University Health Board this year.

- BRYANA FRANCIS

The group of 65 trainee nurses, who will graduate in February 2026, were led to believe throughout their studies that they were entering a profession in high demand, but were shocked to learn there were currently no available posts for adult branch nurses within their cohort.

In a statement released by the M23 cohort, they said they were now facing “unemployment, uncertainty and fear” surrounding their future, having sacrificed hours of unpaid work to face the prospect of not securing a job.

In response, the health board said they are “urgently exploring all possible options” to find a solution to the problem, adding there were some vacancies in their mental health and learning disability services but none in adult nursing.

However, the students have also raised concerns about how this will impact the bursaries they received to help fund their degrees.

Students studying healthcare courses in England and Wales become eligible for various NHS bursary schemes in the country or region where they studied.

Through the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme, students must commit to working in Wales for two years after finishing their degree.

Recipients of the bursary are expected to secure a job within three months of finishing their course. If they fail to do this, the NHS Wales website sets out how they must “request a review” where they must provide evidence of each of their job applications and outcomes.

It states: “The number of posts you have applied for will be considered in conjunction with the number of vacancies advertised in your trained profession across Wales.”