A nursing academic is embarking on a campaign to improve funding for trainee nursing associates studying full-time at university.
Currently, the majority of nursing associates-in-training are apprentices, and therefore receive a wage from their employer.
“They’re not included, they’re not valued”
Christopher O’Sullivan
However, this does not apply to all of them. Registered nurse Christopher O’Sullivan is the deputy programme lead for a direct entry nursing associate degree course at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Those who undertake this course are full-time students for its two-year duration, and at the end obtain a foundation degree-level qualification – an FdSC in Health and Care Practice – and eligibility to be a registered nursing associate.
Like adult, children’s, mental health and learning disability student nurses, nursing associate students on these courses undertake placements, which are typically unpaid.
The requirement to go out on placements means that holding a part-time paid job to support them throughout their studies is more difficult.
Students on pre-registration healthcare degree courses, like those to become a nurse or midwife, are eligible for the NHS Learning Support Fund, which is a grant of £5,000 per academic year, or pro-rata for part-time students.
However, NHS Business Services Authority’s website states that “foundation years” are not eligible, and does not include nursing associate programmes on its list of eligible courses.
Mr O’Sullivan said students on his course had approached him about the financial burden this placed them under.
He told Nursing Times that, before this, he “wasn’t really aware” of the fact that the students were unable to access the full financial support package.
“And when I asked people in the department, when I asked practice partners, they weren’t fully aware of that either, and those who were, it seemed that the answer was: ‘That’s just how it’s always been,” he added.
Following students raising their concerns to him, Mr O’Sullivan approached the government and health service, but was told again that foundation courses, such as the direct entry nursing associate one, were not eligible for the fund.
“I put all my time and effort into my placement. I want to learn at the end of the day”
Shauna Martin
He was further told that part of the reason for nursing associates being left out was that the role did not exist when these rules were set.
As a result, he has now approached professional associations representing nurses and intends to pressure the government to reform the way this funding is administered, and include nursing associates on the NHS Learning Support Fund.
Shauna Martin, a first-year student nursing associate at Manchester Metropolitan, told Nursing Times that she had tried to get a part-time job to support herself during the course, but that only being available on weekends due to placements meant this was difficult.
Shauna Martin
“I put all my time and effort into my placement. I want to learn at the end of the day,” she added.
Parental support has helped her manage so far, Ms Martin said, but she added that it remained “hard, financially” to get through the course and that additional financial support would be welcome.
“When you compare [our support] to a first-year adult nurse who’s getting £5,000 for the year… it just doesn’t make sense, really, to [have] such a massive difference,” she said.
Another nursing associate student, who requested not to be named, said she had to quit her part-time job when placements started and that it significantly impacted her ability to support herself.
“It is difficult to study, do placement and work at the same time,” she said.
“I hardly had time to rest and that affected me physically and mentally because I didn’t have much time to rest.
“[Student finance] does help, but it is not enough if you have things that you must pay.
“Especially when you also have to pay for transportation, things for placement such as shoes, utensils, even lunch or at least shopping for your lunch because hospital food is kind of expensive.”
Mr O’Sullivan said he felt that the current rules were emblematic of a wider misunderstanding and disregard for registered nursing associates: “It’s something that [demonstrates] a lot of issues that the nursing associates face in practice.
“They’re not included, they’re not valued, they’re seen as a foundation route to nursing when they are their own route. They’re their own profession.”
He added that, on his course, many students were from lower socio-economic backgrounds, or other groups underrepresented in degree courses, and that the financial burden was particularly difficult for them.
“They’re maybe failed by a traditional system to begin with… they may feel they’re not good enough,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
He told Nursing Times that he planned to continue pushing for the government to better support direct entry nursing associate students, and that this included raising it to the Royal College of Nursing, Council of Deans of Health and other organisations in the coming months.
The UK Government was approached for comment.
