Newly qualified nurse 'scared for her future' in profession

Bethany Tulloch feels her pay does not reflect her training and how hard she has to work

A recently qualified nurse says she is unsure if she will continue in her job, just 18 months into her career.

Bethany Tulloch, from Northumberland, is a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) member who feels "betrayed and let down" by the government.

The 22-year-old, who is taking part in the national strike, fears for the future of nursing without change.

The RCN wants a 19% pay increase for its members, but the UK government says their demands are unaffordable.

The government said this year's pay increase reflected the independent NHS Pay Review Body's recommendations.

"I'm scared for my future and where the nursing profession is going to be in 10 to 20 years time," Bethany told the BBC.

"If things don't change I don't see myself continuing as a nurse and that's really sad.

"We are trained medical practitioners. We do a lot of hours before we even get into a hospital, we do a lot of training and I don't think our pay reflects that at all."

The starting salary for a nurse in England is just over £27,000 a year, but Bethany has had to give up her apartment in recent months.

"I moved out because I couldn't afford to live there anymore," she said.

"I've moved back in with my parents."

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RCN members, including Bethany (right), will be back on the picket lines on Tuesday

Bethany was one of tens of thousands of nurses took industrial action across England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Thursday, and will be back on strike again on Tuesday.

"I did it for my patients, I did it for me," she said.

However, just a few hours after leaving the picket line she was back at Cramlington's Emergency Care Hospital because she claimed it was "severely undermanned".

She said although she was proud of her job, the workload was "emotionally and physically" draining because she was often caring for dozens of patients by herself.

In September, research by the Nuffield Trust think tank for the BBC revealed nurses were leaving the profession nearly as fast as they were being recruited, with nearly one in 10 posts vacant.

"It's often up to 30 patients with different medical conditions who need a high level of care to one single nurse," said Bethany. "That's what the staffing shortages have caused."

The RCN has said that if there is no move to reopen pay talks, then new strike dates will be announced before Christmas with a series of walkouts likely in January.