Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the opportunity to raise this issue today. I appreciate it relates to the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and possibly the Department of Health. The issue is with supernumerary student nurses in first, second and third year for whom 50% of the course is based on clinical placements. In general, but particularly during the Covid-19 period, these nurses are under extraordinary financial pressure to take up placements, which often mean substantial travel, accommodation, additional laundry costs, living away and, indeed, having to stay away during the Covid-19 period. As matters stand, if they must travel to their placement, which many do, they are given just €50 per week to cover these costs. That is simply not practical. If one takes my constituency of Sligo-Leitrim in the north west and counties Donegal and Roscommon, for example, placements might be 100 miles away. These nurses have to find accommodation, feed themselves and make sure their uniforms are laundered regularly, particularly during Covid.

An allowance of €50 per week does not come anywhere near meeting those costs.

This situation is being experienced by student nurses all over the country. There are difficulties for everybody during the Covid pandemic but that is particularly the case for student nurses in their first, second and third year of training. Some of them are doing weekend work as healthcare assistants but the reality is that they may, as a result, miss out on a clinical placement because the relevant authorities in those placements do not want the increased risk from a Covid perspective that taking those student nurses on would bring. The solution to this, at a minimum, is the introduction of a bursary for bachelor of nursing students in their first, second and third year to assist them at this time and cover the significant expenses they are being forced to endure during this period.

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