Newly qualified Sunderland nurses face baptism of fire as they join battle against coronavirus

From this week up to 40 who trained through at the University of Sunderland will take up front line roles at hospitals across the North East.

It will see them join ward teams for the first time since completing their training as the NHS faces an ‘unprecedented need for more healthcare workers’ in the struggle to contain the spread of COVID-19.

“Every one of our nurses has now been employed by the hospital trust they have been training with,” said Gill Maw, team leader and principal lecturer for undergraduate Nursing and Paramedic Science at the university.

“They officially started their new roles on Tuesday, March 24 and we are very proud of them at this particularly challenging time.”

The latest group to pass through the course at Sunderland is only the second ever cohort to graduate from the university’s School of Nursing.

Their ages range from 21-41, includes two males nurses, and their training included study alongside the university’s trainee pharmacists, paramedics and biomedical scientists, as well as student medics from the new medical school.

As well as the Sunderland Royal Hospital and South Tyneside District Hospital, the recruits will also be heading to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospital, as well as facilities in Northumberland, County Durham and Teesside, among others.

Sue Brent, head of the university’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences, said: “We congratulate all of our April 2017 nurses who have completed their studies, and will now be entering the NHS workforce.

“We are so proud of all their hard work and effort and I’m sure they will make a huge impact in their new roles during this difficult and challenging time for the NHS.

“Thanks must also go to our positive and proactive Undergraduate nursing team, who are wholly committed to delivering high quality, job-ready graduates who will make a real difference to patient care.”

The UK was put under lock down by the government on March 23 in an attempt to staunch the spread of the virus and protect the NHS from being overwhelmed by a surge in patient numbers.