Latest education and training news

A nursing course at the University of Sunderland has received accreditation from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). The professional nurse advocate (PNA) course, which was launched in September 2023, has been given the accreditation in recognition of its educational standards. “Our curriculum will be regularly assessed for its relevance,…

Nurses have spearheaded the design of a new apprenticeship for non-clinical staff who want to pursue a career in safeguarding. The apprenticeship, due to launch next year, is a first-of-its-kind training programme that will qualify individuals as a safeguarding support officer. “We wanted to produce something that was brand new…

A coalition of chief nurses, nurse educators and healthcare employers from across England have called on the government to rethink its proposed cuts to funding for level 7 apprenticeships. More than 600 signatories have backed a letter to the chancellor, co-ordinated by the University Alliance, arguing that level 7 apprenticeships…

The number of students accepted onto nursing courses this year is a "worry”, Scotland’s health secretary has said. A total of 3,530 people were accepted onto undergraduate nursing courses at Scottish universities for 2024-25, according to data published last week by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). “It's about…

More than 32,000 nursing students could drop out of their courses by the end of the next parliament, enough to fill every nurse vacancy in the NHS, a new analysis has found. The “unbearable weight” of graduate debt, financial pressures and inadequate pay is causing thousands of students to quit…

Our Nursing Times student editors have been appointed for 2024-25 and have already started writing about their experiences and views exclusively for you. As ever, the standard of applications was really high and the selection decisions tough, but we have finally settled on eight student editors from all the entries…

The number of people accepting offers to join nursing courses has risen for the first time since 2021, according to new data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), but overall application numbers are still falling. This week, UCAS published its ‘end of cycle’ data, which shows the final…

Global health and human rights advocates have condemned an alleged ban on women from training as nurses and midwives in Afghanistan. Following the withdrawal of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops from the country in mid-2021, the Taliban – an Afghan militant group – overthrew the US-backed government and claimed…

Practice learning requirements for nursing and midwifery should focus on quality rather than quantity, a new report has concluded. A new piece of research conducted on behalf of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) found that meeting the minimum practice learning hours and getting proficiencies and procedures signed off were…

Senior health leaders have identified improving the appeal of doing a nursing degree as a key factor in achieving the NHS’s lofty nurse recruitment goals. At the 2024 Nursing Times Workforce Summit, held in London today, a panel discussed the progress on and challenges facing the NHS Long Term Workforce…