Joko, I have to disagree with you about you assetion that nursing is a job, not a vocation. You don't go through 3 years of University for a job. It's really not a glamourous job so if it's not for you then you have plenty of time to see what's needed and duck out.
/// Student nurses now studied sociology, politics, psychology, microbiology and management, and were assessed for their communication, management and analytical skills. ‘Specific clinical nursing skills were not mentioned,’ she wrote./// Yes they do study sociology, psychology and communication skills, because it's deemed that nurse / patient communication is highly important, as I'm sure everyone here would agree, they also study in quite a level of depth the various conditions they could be faced with. As what good is communication without knowledge?
What are these 'specific clinical nursing skills'? That's a ridiculously vague comment.
My lass has just got a job in a hospital, she beat a lot of other potential candidates, so the hospitals have a choice to pick the very best candidates.
I'm sure like in any job, there are some who are just bad at their job despite putting on an initially impressive front, I'm sure there are some who become disillusioned along the way, but these men and women who are going into nursing are doing it because they want to nurse, they want to help people get better, I met a lot at her graduation ball and they all couldn't wait to be on the job, making a difference.
Regarding the article, I don't get Ms Phillips' stance, is she blaming the progress of equality throughout the last century or on a current issue? She doesn't make much sense.