The University of Ulster’s Annual Nursing Fair at the Magee campus gave final year nursing students an excellent opportunity to network with potential employers.

This year the event, organised by the University’s Career Development Centre in partnership with the School of Nursing, had twenty exhibitors, an increase on previous years.

Almost 200 final year students from Ulster’s BSc (Hons) Nursing Adult and Mental Health programmes attended the event and availed of the excellent opportunities to engage with potential employers, careers advisors and nursing recruitment agencies.

Deirdre McNamee, Associate Head of School of Nursing highlighted that nursing is a very special and highly rewarding career.

“It provides the chance to make a real difference to people's lives. As always, the atmosphere at the fair was dynamic and engaging. The event profiled the exciting and diverse world of employability available to new graduates.”

She continued: “A nursing qualification has both national and international currency, opening doors to many potential full-time and part-time career opportunities across the public and private sectors spanning practice, education, management and research.

“Careers in nursing research are an alternative avenue available to nurses and the School of Nursing is particularly interested in investing in early career researchers in order to build and enhance our capacity and reputation for high calibre nursing research.”

Moira McCarthy, Career Development Manager at Magee said: “The increasingly competitive marketplace for graduates highlighted the importance for final year nursing students to make the most of all opportunities and contacts available to them.

“The exhibitors gave an excellent overview of the many exciting career pathways available to nursing graduates. These included working in the public and private sectors, such as in hospitals, community care nursing, private clinics or in the Armed Services. There are also growing opportunities to work in education, research or management.”

She continued that the feedback from the exhibitors was extremely positive.

“The nursing students came fully prepared, dressed for interview with completed Cvs and presented a very positive and professional image of University of Ulster 2012 Nursing graduates.”

Jenni MacKenzie-Reed, National Permanents Manager with the Surrey based Prestige Nursing Care, said they were delighted with the response.

Caption
Moira McCarthy, Career Development Manager at the Magee campus (centre) with Career Development staff members, Emily Graham and Julie Connolly at the annual Nursing Fair.