Pupils across Moray are being given the opportunity to explore a future career in nursing through a new initiative.
NHS Grampian and Moray Council recently came together to launch a programme called the Future Nurse, which aims to highlight the benefits of pursuing a career as a nurse and tackle gender imbalance within the vocation.
The idea for the Future Nurse initiative was sparked by a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which showed that life ambitions and career choices are shaped within a child’s mind before the age of seven due to a combination of their family’s social background, gender and race.
The Grampian-wide programme was launched at Elgin’s Linkwood Primary school and will continue for a three-year period.
The scheme will involve medical staff from Dr Gray’s hospital in Elgin visiting the school and informing them about their job. During the morning visit, the 67 pupils will be issued with ID badges and uniforms to experience a range of roles such as paediatrician, paramedic and chiropodist.
Moray Council’s head of schools and curriculum development, Vivienne Cross, said they were “delighted” with the programme.
She added: “If we open the young people’s minds to the broadest range of careers, we can raise aspirations and an understanding of the range of careers available in Moray.
“Health and Life Sciences remains one of our biggest industries in Moray and is likely to remain that way, so the sooner we show young people this option, the better.”