Earning potential for a nurse in the UK
The National Health Service (NHS) is the biggest employer of nurses in the UK. But, nurses can work in many different settings. Nurses can work in private health care, the armed forces, in nursing homes, for charities, for colleges and universities or for private industry.
In the NHS, the full time (37.5 hours per week) starting salary for a newly qualified nurse is as a Band 5, on between £21000 – £22000, with enhancements for those living in and around London, for unsociable hours and for being on call. Providing the nurse has annual reviews, he or she will receive an annual increment, which is a payment for the nurse having gained more experience and taken on more responsibility.
Promotion to Band 6 and to more senior posts will require an interview. Band 6 roles mean the nurse has taken on more clinical or managerial responsibilities, such as becoming a Sister or Charge Nurse, which will involve having supervisory responsibilities over more junior nurses and support staff, and co-ordinating shifts, managing sickness and being involved in interviewing support staff and Band 5 nurses. Band 6 nurses may also work in more specialist roles, taking on more clinical responsibility. They will often be part of a medical team, such as the diabetes team, and will have responsibilities for managing patients, assessing them, diagnosing and may even prescribe medication. They may be nurses such as outreach nurses, who care for very unwell patients, diabetes specialist nurses, respiratory nurses or tissue viability nurses. Theirexact rolewill depend on the specialisation in which they work. Band 6 salaries start at about £25000, again with enhancements for living in or around London, being on call or working unsociable hours.
Within the NHS, further training courses can lead to more senior positions. For example, a Community Staff Nurse or a Staff Nurse on the Health Visiting team would be a Band 5, but if these nurses complete further degrees to become District Nurses or Health Visitors, they would be eligible for Band 6 positions.
Nurses in industry, such as occupational health nurses will be paid in line with the company policy. This, invariably, will vary from company to company. The role of the nurses in these companies will vary greatly, too, depending on the nature of the business.
Once nurses have experience, there is the opportunity to work in other areas of nursing. These might include advising a TV/film company on nursing, or working as a nurse on a cruise ship. Current vacancies for cruise ship nurses are being advertised for £2800 per month.
Student nurses receive an NHS bursary and have their university fees paid for by the NHS. This financial assistance is not something which the student nurse has to pay back in anyway, even if he or she has no commitment to the NHS, or indeed to nursing, after qualifying.
However, student nurses can be employed by thearmed forces, whereby they will receive a salary from their branch of the Forces, which is about £24000 per year. Registered nurses, who will be non-commissioned officers in the Forces, will earn about £29000 per year, whilst nursing officers will receive about £31000 per year.
