About to qualify as children’s nurse but no jobs

[Toffeepancakes]

I’m in Scotland and next week I’ll complete my final placement and qualify as a children’s nurse.
However where I am there is no jobs. I’m sitting on a holders list as I passed an interview but from what I’ve heard there is unlikely to be any positions in the near future.
I’m gutted, I have been told there will likely be temporary contracts offered over winter but I have two children and a mortgage and finances have been a struggle this last year.
Can anyone recommend any jobs that being a qualified nurse would be of benefit too? Particularly a children’s nurse. I’m having a blank but I really do need a steady stable job and quite quickly.

If you live near any big private schools, they often employ nurses.

I’m not in Scotland but I support nursing students in England as part of my job. We have been told to direct anyone without a job this year to NHS England WTE who can support with find a post for them. Maybe worth speaking to NHS Scotland’s education dept to see if there is similar support there?

Private school nurse definitely - posher the better

It’s awful and the same in many places. PIP assessor? When I qualified as a midwife ages ago it was the same, I worked in a call centre for a while

Sorry to hear there's no jobs for now. These are the ideas that popped into my head: Ambulance service control room, school nurse, nurse at a doctors surgery, midwife or health visitor training, occupational health, audiology school hearing assessor, hospice nurse, private hospital nurse. Hope you find something soon.

Are you qualified to work in a nursery?

This was my thought too

Wow sorry you’re in this position, I thought we were crying out for nurses?! Do you mean no nursing jobs or no paediatric nursing jobs? My friend went from nursing in a hospital to district nursing recently, is that possible?

Sorry to her about your predicament.

Anything pharmaceutical, clinical quality control or community based... and some bank shifts to gain the necessary experience?

Our trust has vacancies, but we are SE England.

It might be the case that there are lots of vacancies but many trusts have recruitment freezes at the moment. That’s definitely happening with many AHP posts. Bank/agency work?

You might be able to get a well-paid salaried job as a nanny for a child with medical needs. I'd speak to a good nanny agency.

I'm so sorry you're in this position though. It feels very unfair.

There’s a massive shortage of both adult and child nursing jobs. Combination of overseas recruitment and not enough money to fill vacancies.

private school nurse, private hospitals, private GP practices,

Could you go straight on to the health visiting course?
Nanny?

There will be some very insulted specialist community public health nurse - school nurses very insulted by the responses to this thread!!!!

You're a little late for places on the SCPHN programmes to be a HV or SN op.

The recruitment freezes are terrible. You'll just have to get something temporary, if it's relevant to paeds nursing then even better as you'll be building up relevant experience.

Anything in early years, education, SEND. There will likely be lots of short breaks/respite roles available. Or even caring roles?

As PP said- we are crying out for nurses and doctors but lots of trusts have recruitment freezes in place as they are skint. Our local trust (SE) discovered they had a a ridiculous deficit (tens of millions) at the end of the financial year so no recruitment. My friend is a qualified junior doctor but can't get a job. It's madness.

I hope you manage to find something OP and I really do feel for you x

Thanks for all your replies, there’s a few ideas I hadn’t considered. I applied for some trainee HV roles but was told I needed experience post qualifying to apply.
I previously worked in childcare and I’m qualified so I can pick up work there, it’s just I’d hoped to start a job in nursing. Just disheartening after a lot of hard work.

I'm so sorry this is happening after all your hard work.

I really hope it is only a temporary issue and that soon you will be able to start in a registered nurse role.

Meanwhile I would go with whatever is most convenient for you and pays okay. Are there Health care assistant roles or nurse associate available? I know it's less money but might be a good 'in'

Don't know where in Scotland you are but what about children's hospice, LD children's teams, development centres, special schools.

Post grad to do lecturing, healthcare at college or similar?

Respite centres for children with additional needs?

Have you looked at jobs in A&E departments? Especially some smaller hospitals don't have a dedicated and completely separate paediatrics and adult departments. Often the staff would move between and cover both areas.
Not great pay, but phlebotomy roles
Play specialist. Again, not as well paid as band 5, but given your child care experience, 'might' be an another option.
Work in a GP as a vaccination nurse? Some places offer training.

Anything with CAMHS? They will take paediatric trained nurses.

This breaks my heart.
As a paediatric nurse we are crying out for staff and it's just so sad that these posts aren't able to be recruited and filled.

Keep going, agree with the suggestion of approaching NHS and also potentially RCN?

Will have everything crossed for you - and also a big congratulations, doing your degree with your own kids etc is no mean feat and whatever the outcome you should be super proud of yourself! X

Paediatric nurse here as well. We are also crying out for staff! (East midlands)