Seanad debates

Tuesday, 10 November 2020

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

 

10:30 am

Photo of Micheál CarrigyMicheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Unfortunately Longford cannot claim any part of Joe Biden.

I wish to raise the issue of student nurses. These young people have been providing essential care as care assistants during the pandemic. This experience is invaluable to them in their journey to become nurses. It is work which is necessary to fund their college fees and to support them while living away from home. However, a number of issues have come to the fore recently as these young people go on placement as part of their degree with no pay. Many of these students are back living at home and are doing their courses online because it is considered unsafe for them to go on campus and yet they are expected to go on placement to hospitals and care settings and either return home to their families or get accommodation near their placement without any financial support. These young trainee nurses have been asked to give up any part-time jobs they have in other care settings while on placement but there is no compensation for this, which is unfair. We all understand the importance of placement and direct experience but we are asking these young people to work for free during a pandemic when we know this will put them and their families at risk. Student gardaí are in receipt of financial support while training which is only right and proper, but why is this not also the case for student nurses? The Minister for Health will say these placements are part of their education and nobody is disputing that. During this pandemic, however, it is time to show fairness and respect to these young people. We want to keep them in their chosen profession and in this country when they graduate. In that context it is important to highlight their plight, support them and stop exploiting these young people who are on the front line.

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