Student nurses at Sheffield Hallam are calling for help with funding and work placements
They said they are battling with a course ‘crisis’
Sheffield Hallam University’s student nurses are asking for more support with funding and work placements and have said they’re reaching a “breaking point”.
A meeting at Hallam’s Collegiate campus was reportedly attended by more than 80 students and was led by the Dean of the university and Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union representatives.
One student spoke to The Sheffield Star about the more than 200 nurses asking for help from the RCN. She describes issues surrounding funding, unavailable placements to complete courses and mistreatment when they have complained about bad practice.
The anonymous student continued: “It’s at a breaking point so I do not know how some of the younger ones are dealing with it. And the [union] rep said they had countless emails from students considering taking their own lives because we are battling against a brick wall 24/7 with them.”
The pandemic affected classes and unpaid hospital placements. This student had to re-enroll to make sure she could finish her original course. She was registered as not attending because a new work placement had not been provided to her and feels as if nursing students are being failed by the University.
She said: “I have three assessments that still need to be completed to qualify and I have had no teaching for them and everything I have finally got access to has taken them months to make available.”
A Sheffield Hallam University spokesperson said: “Like many universities across the country that deliver healthcare education, Sheffield Hallam is continuing to experience disruption to placements due to the continued knock-on effects of the pandemic.
“We understand the uncertainty is difficult and apologise to all students affected. We are in regular contact with them, and held an open and constructive meeting with a small group of nursing students on October 20, with the support of the Royal College of Nursing, to listen to their concerns and reassure them we are doing everything we can to rectify the situation. It was agreed that lines of communication will be improved to ensure students feel better informed of our plans to mitigate any further disruption.
“We are working with students to ensure they complete their required placement hours, and have put funding in place to provide support to those students affected with accommodation, travel, and living expenses.”
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