Nursing - NHS or private?

[asblackasyoursoul]

Hi all, I'm currently a 2nd year student nurse. I'm 20 and so I don't have much knowledge of how it all works (life in general!)
I'm not sure where to work when I qualify. I love the wards, but I'm also open to working in private care facilities. However I don't understand how it works.
I know you progress through the bands in the NHS. If I was for example to work in the private sector then joined the NHS years later, would I have to start at the beginning of the band or would they place me accordingly?

Also, any advice generally NHS vs private? Thank you so much!

I'm not sure what you mean by private exactly, but most private companies (BUPA, etc) don't really want newly qualified nurses. Do you mean nursing homes?

I would start out in the NHS, gain some experience and some pay increments, and then reconsider private.

With private I don't imagine there's the same provision for mentoring and support so I wouldn't start there.

In my area most private providers would prefer a newly qualified nurse to have competed an NHS proceptorship programme, although some nursing homes will be desperate and may overloook that. I wouldn't recommend starting a career in a care home though, even if your passion is elderly care, it may be hard to get back into the NHS afterwards without a preceptorship.

It is still banded like the NHS. I think as a newly qualified it may be better to do a preceptorship in the NHS and gain more experience across different areas so consolidate knowledge and find out what you are interested in. I did an 18 month preceptorship which was 6 months medical, then surgical and the ITU. Some (not all) private hospitals don't have the facilities for really poorly patients so if you are interested in critical care etc NHS would be better.

I haven't worked in a private hospital but did have a placement in BUPA hospital as a student and it wasn't the greatest experience, but that is just my opinion!

I dont know a single nurse who went into private care that didnt return to the NHS within a few years. Most private providers wont have a robust preceptorship programme and whilst the pay seems very attractive initially (cygnet offered me 30k as a newly qualified 6 years ago) the benefits are not even remotely as good as the nhs. Most private providers dont offered enhanced pay for unsociable hours either.

We have a new nurse on our ward who has come from private. She was able to negotiate her salary but she still took a pay cut.

Thank you all, yes I meant private care homes. I was slightly more attracted to them as the pay is better than NHS but in the grand scheme of things it sounds like NHS is far better!