The case for graduate entry to the United Kingdom nursing register

The recent decision of the United Kingdom Nursing and Midwifery Council to make nursing a degree profession is contentious and has generated debate among nurses and other stakeholders. We argue why nurses need a degree to nurse and what the implications of making a degree in nursing obligatory at the point of registration will be.

Nurses work at the forefront of any healthcare system. The complexity of their role and demands on them are increasing. To fulfil demands and expectations of employers, the public and the profession, and to be able to work collaboratively with other healthcare professions, nurses need critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills, which can help them to work as independent practitioners. We argue that this can only be assured if the level of education for nurses is raised from diploma to degree, making this a prerequisite for registration as a nurse.

The increasingly complex role of nurses, the changing landscape of the healthcare needs and a need to improve the image and status of nursing as a profession to make it an attractive career choice are some of the important reasons that justify nursing in becoming a degree-only profession.