Nursing graduates are having to wait weeks between finishing their study and starting work despite the health sector's staffing crisis.
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Graduates will sit the national registration exam, known as States, on 19 July.
Some will have been offered a provisional job already but none can start work for Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand until September, even though they will have their exam results by 12 August at the latest.
A nursing graduate in Canterbury, who RNZ has agreed not to name, said the wait to get a job made her feel frustrated and helpless.
"I think the period of six weeks' limbo where we've already sat our exam and there's really nothing we can do about the result leaves us feeling a little bit powerless, especially when we see a lot of news stories and we have friends who work in the health system who are talking about how short-staffed they are.
"We have the skills and we want to help but can't," she said.
Some were even picking up work in health while they wait.
"Things like hospital aids, clerking jobs - we can work in sterilisation but we can't do jobs as registered nurses in any capacity or as enrolled nurses in any capacity," she said.
The six-week gap also meant people would have time to reconsider what they wanted to do, with some possibly choosing to head overseas or ditch the profession altogether.
"I've heard of stories of people just deciding in that period not to become nurses because they already have a degree ... that provides them with an opportunity to get great corporate jobs.
"Some people with nursing degrees choose to head to Australia... Some choose to get pregnant, which takes them out of the nursing profession," the graduate said.
The delay to starting work would be even longer if nursing graduates missed the registration exam - which only takes place three times a year.
"If you are unable to attend your exam, say if you are Covid positive or a household contact, you have to wait until November to sit your state exam - which means you're unlikely to start work until next year."
In a statement, Te Whatu Ora said each region has its own employment process but usually starts nursing graduates together on the same day so they can be inducted as a group.
It said the gap between results being published and graduates starting in their jobs was also to get paperwork in hand.
The Nursing Council, which holds the registration exam, said it was working to put it online which would mean results would be available sooner.
