The NHS chief nurse, Ruth May, has congratulated thousands of students who have been accepted onto nursing degrees, following A Level results yesterday.

She also encouraged anyone still considering their options to apply for a place through clearing.

Nursing graduates are among the most employable in the UK, with 94 per cent of those studying ending up in a job within six months.

May said: “It is great to see today’s figures showing that thousands of people have decided to pursue an exciting and rewarding path to become a nurse, one day joining our NHS team and changing the lives of the thousands of patients they will treat.

“This is a testament to the bravery and hard work of all our NHS staff throughout the pandemic which no doubt inspired hundreds of today’s successful applicants and hopefully will continue to do so for years to come.

“Joining the NHS was the best decision I ever made so if you are a student thinking about your next steps, please consider applying to study nursing through UCAS clearing – it is one of the most employable degrees around and probably the most rewarding career in the world.

“If you think nursing could be for you, you can search ‘NHS nursing careers’ to find out more about the roles available and how to apply.”

Those who study nursing at university are eligible for the NHS Learning Support Fund, a grant of £5,000 a year.

Chelsea Fawcett, a community mental health nurse at Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust, said: “At college I was told to be a nurse I’d need to be ‘good at science’ so disregarded it, but while working as a receptionist at a mental health clinic I was really inspired by the work I saw and applied to become a mental health nurse.

“In less than two months of first considering it, I was accepted for a place through clearing and was well on my way to becoming a qualified nurse. Each of my shifts are around 12 hours long but the work is so varied and rewarding, and I am delighted that four years on I have just accepted a new job as a senior mental health nurse which I start in a few months’ time.

“If you are unsure about your next steps, there are so many opportunities for you in the NHS – I cannot recommend it enough!”