Understanding the early careers of Nursing Graduates in Scotland using the Scottish Longitudinal Educational Outcomes (LEO) dataset
Across the UK, nursing faces a growing sustainability challenge. Applications to study nursing have declined sharply in recent years, even as the demand for qualified nurses continues to rise.
In our study, we will be interested to know if the NHS regional health boards within the UK, manage to recruit recently qualified UK trained nurses or if they increasingly have to rely on international recruitment to fill gaps? If it is the latter, we will investigate why?
Overview
Our investigation will commence with reviewing how many nursing students make it through their courses, enter practice, and stay in the profession? Surprisingly, we know very little about the early career trajectories of nursing graduates in the UK. This new study aims to fill that crucial knowledge gap, beginning with Scotland.
For the first time, researchers will use the Scottish Longitudinal Educational Outcomes (LEO) dataset to track nursing students from Scottish universities into the early stages of their careers.
Within this dataset, nursing graduates can be identified using course codes, allowing for detailed analysis of their progression into employment.
Aims
This project aims to explore several important questions:
-
Completion rates: What proportion of nursing students successfully completed their courses between 2003/04 and 21/22?
-
First-year employment: How many entered work within a year of graduating and in what types of jobs? Are there changes over time?
-
Delayed entry to clinical roles: Among those who didn’t start in a clinical post immediately after graduation, how many moved into one later and how long did it take?
-
Retention: For graduates who began their careers in clinical roles, how long did they remain in practice?
-
Equity and variation: Do outcomes differ by personal characteristics such as gender, age, or background?
-
Long-term clinical engagement: What share of those who didn’t find a clinical position right away eventually did so?
Objectives
This project represents a major step forward in understanding the transition from nursing education to practice.
The findings will not only provide new insights for Scotland but also offer lessons relevant across the UK.
Looking Forward
By shedding light on how nursing graduates move into and through their early careers, this study aims to:
- inform future workforce planning,
- inform future education policy,
- suggest adjustments to recruitment strategies, helping ensure the sustainability of the nursing profession for years to come.
Data Sources
The Scottish Longitudinal Educational Outcomes (LEO) dataset, links higher education data from HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) with employment and earnings records from HMRC, creating a powerful resource for understanding educational and labour market outcomes. These data have been made available through the Office for National Statistics’ Secure Research Service.
