Nursing students’ money worries mount; many drop out |
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Tue, 13 Sep 2005 13:05
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Financial hardship could force over 56 percent of student nurses to abandon training, according to a survey by the Nursing Times and Unison, the union of health workers.
The survey covered more than 2,000 newly qualified nurses and midwives and students of nursing. It found a growing number of students who had run up huge debts in order to complete their training. Compared to 2003, there were over twice as many students - 13 percent - with debts of over £10,000.
Students had to take on extra work to sustain themselves during training because the bursaries of £6000 a year were inadequate. More than 54 percent had to work additional 11 or more hours weekly, mostly as health care assistants. For many, the additional work was not paying enough, resulting in mounting debts.
Newly qualified nurses and mid-wives earn around £18,000 per year with which they could take years to repay their debts.
For 64 percent of the students, holding a second job was the only way they could survive the training period, but admitted that it was affecting their studies.
26 percent said they had no option but to work extra 15 hours each week. 20 percent said they had to take on as much as 20 hours work extra each week – which is more than half a working week.
The hard work, as much as the rising debt, is forcing many students to drop out. A second year student at West of England University said she found the extra hours of work very strenuous – her feet ache while at work and she often longs to sit down, but the double shifts were the only way she could make ends meet. Many students are known to have children adding to their money worries.
Nursing Times editor Rachel Downey said the government could not ignore student poverty and must take the necessary steps soon or else it could face a shortage of nursing workforce in the future.
Unison plans to take the issue to the government, demanding that the ‘employment and salary status’ for student nurses and midwives be reintroduced. A huge majority of all those surveyed voted for this move.
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