The cutest cure for our crisis-hit NHS... the nurses of primary two
TAKING blood pressure, checking for raised temperatures and soothing sore tummies... it is all in a day’s work for the miniature nurses of primary two.
Dressed in tiny NHS Scotland tunics, they are ‘nurses-intraining’ – part of a new initiative teaching small children basic skills in a bid to encourage them to join the profession.
It is hoped the school workshops, led by professional nurses, will also attract more boys.
Pilot schemes in Aberdeen and Edinburgh have involved children as young as three donning scrubs and learning how to use stethoscopes, syringes and blood pressure equipment.
The project will now be rolled out across all 14 health boards thanks to an injection of cash from the Scottish Government to buy almost 2,000 more outfits.
The drive comes after vacancies for nursing jobs soared by 21 per cent in the past year, while the number of male nurses has dwindled to a seven-year low.
Chief Nursing Officer Fiona McQueen said: ‘We know that career aspiration starts at about seven or eight years old.
‘Clearly it will take a long time for a seven-year-old boy to be a nurse but this is a long-term initiative. The more we can attract people into nursing the better.’
The #FutureNurse project was the brainchild of a senior nurse at NHS Grampian, Colin McNulty.
The initiative soon expanded to include play-based teaching visits from NHS Grampian and NHS Lothian nurses across 13 schools. Since November last year, nearly 2,500 children have taken part.
The pupils move between different skills stations in the classroom, taking blood pressure and temperature, using syringes and putting arms in slings. Special videos show real-life nurses assessing the same ailments.
Mr McNulty said he was ‘really proud’ of the scheme.