Our Nurses. Our Future: Widening access to nursing

With applications to nursing in Scotland falling by almost a quarter in the past year, ensuring nursing is accessible to all is essential for the health of society, the NHS and the profession. It’s something RGU's Principal Lecturer for Recruitment and Widening Participation, Bruce Harper-McDonald, is passionate about and why he's taken on a role to widen access into nursing...

"With over twenty years nursing experience, spanning fields including community health, public health, general and care of the elderly, I’ve built up substantial experience, but haven’t followed a conventional career path.

In a pre-nursing career, I worked in financial services at HBOS. At this stage, I wanted to train as an independent financial advisor, however a combination of a lack of funding and a realisation that it was the human side of my job that I enjoyed most, convinced me to leave the sector.

With a mortgage to pay and rising interest rates, I needed to find a role where I could study whilst working part-time. I was drawn to the person-centred nature of nursing and the job security it offered. Nursing promised a variety of careers, with a comprehensive pension and sick pay. What made it possible for me, was the Scottish Bursary System for nurse training.

When I left school, I didn’t have the qualifications to do nursing. I’d gone to a deprived school in Aberdeen, where expectations were low, and didn’t feel I deserved to go to University. An Access course at Aberdeen College, (now NESCOL), gave me the confidence and qualifications to gain entry to study a Diploma in Nursing at RGU. 

I initially found it challenging, balancing work, placements and study. I didn’t see myself as an academic, but received excellent support from RGU’s lecturers and student services, including the University’s Counselling Service, after experiencing a bereavement during my studies. Once I started the nursing programme, I was even more convinced that nursing was for me! I loved every placement I went on and wanted to be a surgical nurse, an adult nurse, and a district nurse.

When I graduated in the noughties, there was a recruitment freeze at the NHS and it was very difficult  to find  a job, but I managed to get my first job in care for the elderly at Woodend where I spent 7 years.  I had no intentions of doing a master's degree but went onto complete a MSc in in Advanced District Nursing and accreditation from the Royal College of Nursing as an advanced nurse practitioner which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I moved into teaching at Edinburgh Napier University, where I did a number of roles and laterally, spent a lot of time in Singapore delivering a nursing programme as the programme leader and worked as registered nurse in Singapore. I loved learning about differences in culture, how health care is delivered and cross-learning between the two countries.

When I saw the post to support RGU help recruit nurses and widen access, I realised that I wanted to be part of this and to come back to my roots in the North East, where my nursing career had begun. I've also continue to work for NHS Lothian as a district nurse, on a very part-time basis, around a fulltime academic post and feel very fortunate to have maintained my nursing practice around a fulltime academic post.

Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about making nursing more accessible. I’ve always believed strongly in widening participation. Why should your education, health or life expectancy be based on your postcode? I genuinely believe every child should have an equal chance to access University. Luckily, I made the right decisions to get to the stage I’m at now, but I could have gone the other way if I’d not had ambitions for myself. 

When I saw the post to support RGU help recruit nurses and widen access, I realised that I wanted to be part of this and to come back to my roots in the North East, where my nursing career had begun.

I’ve got the chance, as the lead for widening access into nursing at the University, to help make nursing more accessible. Whether this be through our college partners, access programme or through our Nursing & Midwifery Bursaries.

We’re planning a ‘Celebration of Nursing Events’ in May, and this will be a chance for anyone to find out more about the support we offer students with their learning including careers support, finance, counselling and wellbeing, and through our Inclusion Centre which supports any student with a known or suspected disability or dyslexia.

As a male nurse, I’m also keen to encourage more men to come forward into nursing. Nursing has typically been associated as a female profession, with only 11.4% of UK Registered Nurses being male (NMC 2023) but this can change. We need to create the opportunities for a more diverse nursing workforce which better reflects the patient population that nurses care for and support.

There are many reasons why men should consider a nursing career including the variety of careers on offer and their sustainability. RGU is applying to become an accredited by the Athena Swan Charter, to promote diversity in Science and by doing so, we are committed to take ‘positive action’ to address gender inequality in healthcare subjects under represented by men such as nursing, midwifery, and paramedic practice.

If anyone is considering a career in nursing, I’d tell them to go for it! The patients are the number one reason. The trust people give you look after them. No one will ever believe the person who sold them their first mortgage, but they will remember the person who held their hand when they or their loved one was sick. This has always kept me going in the hard times. The job satisfaction and role you can play. You can’t put a value on that. Now I’ve got the chance to help others into the profession."