Although I created this blog to really reflect on my placements and experiences while training to become a nurse and possibly after I feel like I want to share my opinion on an issue that seems to be pretty controversial at the moment
BURSARIES
Now although I don't receive one and am lucky enough to be seconded, I do know that the other members of my cohort do not receive a bursary, pay their tuition fees either independently or through loans and use said loans plus some part time work to support their families get to uni/placement ect and are managing for the most part just fine.
Let me reiterate the course structure at University of Bolton, our cohort has around 27 students. our lecturers know us well and make time to be available if we need help/ support or just to talk to them to clarify any issues. We have clinical nurse tutors (equivalent to PEFs) who visit us on placement roughly once a week to make sure we are coping and are getting the best learning opportunities we can. To me the extra support I feel like we get seems to make the tuition fees and lack of bursaries worth it. And it scrapping them means that us student nurses get this kind of support I think that's great.
However I think that if that isn't going to happen then in order to combat a recruitment crisis when it comes to student nurses never mind qualified nurses, the government are going to have to offer an incentive such as a more generous salary for nurses especially taking into account the planned rise of national minimum wage meaning that anyone over 25 will be paid at least £9 an hour by 2020... A newly qualified nurse gets roughly £21000 pa (£10.76ph). So after attending university for 3 years they will receive £1 more than the living wage. I don't think this will entice people to struggle for 3 years.
I agree that especially where my course is concerned its what people want to do so they will use student finance.. I am by no means going into nursing for the money. I have had personal circumstances which have motivated me to want to do this great career as have most people that complete degree programmes in order to become a nurse I'm sure. but in a few years time, my opinion is that there will have to be change when it comes to nurses salaries or else the backbone of then NHS is going to crumble and personally it worries me.
