The financial burden on student nurses has increased dramatically, it was reported yesterday.

The average debt for health students is now 7,012 UK pounds, up by more than 26 per cent in the past year.

These figures come from a recent Unison survey of 659 health students, including 527 nursing and midwifery students. They show that the proportion of students with debts above 10,000 UK pounds has jumped from six per cent in 2003 to 22 per cent in 2007.

And the situation is particularly difficult for nursing students who receive a bursary - 71 per cent take on extra paid work to make ends meet - up by ten per cent since 2006. Thirty-eight per cent work more than 16 hours a week on top of their 37.5 hours a week study.

Gail Adams, Unison’s head of nursing, told Nursing Standard that students are more likely to drop out if they undertake extra paid work. "Students are fully aware that taking on additional paid work has a detrimental effect on their studies, but bursary funding leaves them with no choice," she said.

The union has long believed that nursing students should be paid for carrying out practical work during their training.

Nursing Standard also reports that 40 per cent of students entering higher education are "seriously worried" about potential debts. The magazine points out that the amount of funding per student has significantly decreased since the early 1960s, despite a five-fold increase in student numbers.

Nearly half of students consider leaving their training because of money. Nursing Standard found that in 2006, one in four nursing students dropped out.
Date: January 10th 2008
Source: staffnurse.com