One Year Job Guarantee Scheme

Frequently asked questions

Frequently Answered Questions regarding Internships and the One Year Job Guarantee (OYJG) Scheme include:

Must newly registered nurses and midwives join the OYJG and can they leave the scheme?

• The scheme is not compulsory and newly registered nurses and midwives are still encouraged to seek employment through their own means. If you find a post through normal recruitment process or if you choose not to work in NHSScotland following registration, then there is no need to apply to join.
• However, if an offer of an internship position is made and then declined by the applicant, then the OYJG offer will be seen to have been completed.
• If an intern subsequently finds alternative employment then they may leave the scheme at any time, but the OYJG offer will be seen to have been completed and no future offers will be made under the scheme.

Are internships the only available opportunities for newly registered nurses and midwives?

• NHS Boards continue to advertise vacancies as they arise, including on Scotland's Health on the Web at https://jobs.scot.nhs.uk/, and a number of newly registered nurses and midwives have obtained posts in this way.
• Employment opportunities may also be available in non-NHS organisations.

If newly registered nurses and midwives have managed to get some limited part-time work since applying for the OYJG, are they still eligible for the internship offer?

The OYJG scheme has been established to support those who have been unable to gain employment, but we will seek to provide a proportionate offer based on an average of the number of hours worked.

Will a newly registered nurse or midwife who is registered with NMC, but is currently studying full-time at Honours or Masters level and is in receipt of Nursing & Midwifery Student Bursary (NMSB) be eligible to apply for the OYJG Internship Scheme?

Yes, but only if the honours/masters full-time study is completed no more than three months from the closing date of the application cycle. An applicant cannot be in receipt of a NMSB and a salary as an intern at the same time.

Why have such a scheme for newly registered nurses and midwives only?

The Scottish Government remains committed to maintaining a highly skilled, motivated and compassionate nursing and midwifery workforce. The national OYJG scheme for newly qualified nurses and midwives was originally launched in 2002, specifically for nurses and midwives, as a way of maximising employment opportunities for those who had completed a commissioned pre-registration training programme. The Scottish Government has retained its commitment to balancing support for newly registered nurses and midwives with enhanced and more controlled selection of high quality students to pre-registration programmes ensuring that we encourage, support and sustain the flow of the right people, with the right skills, and in the right numbers, into these professions and subsequently into employment.

How will applicants be asked to demonstrate that they have taken reasonable steps to secure a permanent post?

NES will require applicants to be able to provide evidence of three unsuccessful applications for positions appropriate to a newly qualified nurse or midwife. This may include correspondence with prospective employers or other records of communication regarding employment opportunities.

Will Boards use interns as 'cheap labour' whilst reducing other 'real' jobs?

• The primary focus of the internship scheme is to provide opportunities for newly registered nurses and midwives who are unable to gain substantive employment through their own efforts to consolidate their skills.
• Interns should be employed 'in addition to' the NHS Boards' funded establishments. Thus, the internship approach will provide a sound working experience for the intern whilst also providing additional care capacity in the service.
• NHS Boards are expected to take appropriate steps to advertise and fill suitable vacancies as they arise.

Are internships available in all NHS Boards?

• Scottish Government and NES are working closely with professional leads across Scotland to support the development of internship opportunities. The majority of NHS Boards participate in the internship scheme. We will not be able to guarantee an offer in a specific NHS Board, but the NHS Boards have identified opportunities across Scotland to meet our commitment through the OYJG scheme.

Who actually employs the interns and do interns have the same terms and conditions as any other NHSScotland employed nurse or midwife?

• Interns are employed by the host NHS Board under standard Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions of Service, subject to the usual checks which will be made regarding suitability for employment in NHSScotland. Interns will also be subject to the same professional Codes of Conduct and behaviour that apply to all nurses and midwives who work in NHSScotland.

What about supervision and support arrangements?

• Interns will not be trainees, but will be fully registered nurses and midwives with the same standards, skills and competencies as other newly registered staff. The scheme is not about remediation, but is a mechanism to support staff to maintain, use and build upon the skills they already have.
• As for all newly registered employees, there will be supervision and support requirements for interns, both in practice and at any educational interface. NES will work with designated NHS Board staff to ensure adequate support for the interns.
• Interns will be required to register on Flying Start NHS and (proportionate to the duration of their internship offer) complete the associated programme of development.
• NES' educational focus and links will support a robust developmental experience around the scheme.

What happens to interns after they complete the scheme?

• NHS Boards cannot prioritise employment of post-internship staff as this would be against employment legislation/partnership agreements. However, by identifying the skills and experience gained during this period and linking this development to Flying Start NHS ® and the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) interns can create a structured portfolio which should increase their likelihood of post-internship employment.

Details of how to apply and additional information is available from the NES website.

Scottish Government
18th December 2013