Students know 'less' about nursing - graduate jobs

Many 18-year-olds are unaware that graduates in nursing have the authority to prescribe medicines to patients, a poll has found.

A survey of 1,000 students by the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at King's College London revealed that only a quarter knew nurses could train to consultant-level and have medicine-prescribing powers.

The poll, conducted to mark 100 years since the death of Florence Nightingale, showed that only 6% knew nurses could potentially earn up to £100,000 a year, with 92% thinking only doctors earned that amount.

A fifth of the total students said they would be more inclined to consider a nursing career, after they had been told about the range of skills nurses develop and the senior positions nurses can hold.

Of those who had already thought about nursing, 63% were more likely to opt for the profession.

Professor Anne Marie Rafferty, head of the school, said: "It is a worry that many students do not fully understand what a career as a nurse involves.

"We need to challenge and update the image of nursing to tell it as it is - one of the greatest and most rewarding professions providing one of the most precious services to society - compassionate, high-calibre care delivered by outstanding people."