SANITARY – In the United Kingdom, the Covid-19 pandemic has sparked vocations. According to a report, the number of applications to study nursing has jumped since the arrival of the virus.
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The Covid-19 pandemic, which has been turning hospitals around the world upside down for two years, could have pushed young people away from jobs in overwhelmed medical services. In the UK, however, quite the opposite has happened. Applications for nursing apprenticeships have reached an all-time high since the outbreak of the virus, according to a report released on Thursday by the English Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). They have even increased by 38% since 2019 for young people aged 18 to 21.
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“The last two difficult years have highlighted the value of our profession”, reacted to the Guardian Ruth May, chief nurse of NHS England, the British health services. “More of our young people want to enter the nursing profession, this is one of the positive legacies of the work of our amazing healthcare workers”, said Clare Marchant, general manager of Ucas. “It’s encouraging.”
An essentially female profession
According to the report, it is indeed the appearance of the virus which is at the origin of these new vocations. 69% of candidates admitted that the pandemic was a motivating factor for them. It is even the most decisive element of their decision for 10% of them.
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However, the number of applications to become nurses had fallen in recent years, especially after the elimination of scholarship funding for new students in 2016. According to the Guardian, nursing is now the fifth most studied subject in higher education. But disparities persist, women being nine times more demanding than men to exercise this medical profession.
