Student Nurses

Hello all,

I have a meeting tomorrow and having only just received the agenda, political fools, I was hoping you might clarify a few points for me.

Firstly, do student nurses have a limit on the amount of hours a week they can/should work by law/medical guidance?

Secondly, there seem to be complaints about NHS bursaries are these are common problem?

Lastly is there a formal channel which nursing students can complain about their treatment etc outside of the university providing the course's jurisdiction?

Sorry to be dumping these questions in the forums lap but as I said I've been left on the back foot and from my understanding there are quite a few medically types here in university positions.

All help is full heartedly appreciated,

Ant

 

Yes there is a limit on how many hours we can work! We are under the working time directive up to 48 hours a week! we cannot work more than 11.5 hrs a day (excluding breaks).

The NHS bursary is basically crap! and at the moment there is a lot of outrage as students who enroll this year will get £200 more than students already studying, if you aged over 25yrs you also get and extra £100. The bursary is also very poor and generally £585 per month (if you live in london in your own accomodation) is not enough to live on, in my case that is my rent!

Getting hold of anyone to find out information about the busary is practically impossible and generally you get fobed off with crap, and generally never recieve an answer! I did not recieve a bursary until 4 months after I started my course as they lost my information and then they buggered up my bank details! When I finally did get my bursary it was't enough as they then got my personal information wrong! Nightmare!

Any more info just PM me as I can give you hundred of problems that we student nurses under the NHS regime suffer!!

missy

 

Hi antphilip, presuming you mean civi nursing, here's my take:

Limit on hours - I found some placements were very flexible with working hours. Working extra hours over the 48 could mean finishing early, with extra time for essays / part-time job. It's adult education, so we should be aware of what we are safe to work. If they had played it by the book on hours it would have been a pain in the arrse at times.

Bursary - yes it should be more, BUT: I got £500 / month (2002-05), you don't have to pay it back (even if you don't do nursing after you qualify). Although you put a lot of hours in, it's not impossible to work an extra 40 hours a month, which can bump your living standards up (outside London!) I came out with a degree and no debts - nursing has its perks. I was paid mine on time throughout the course.

Complaints - about what? You can join RCN / NMC / Unison or whoever it is (I never bothered). The uni I was at was always fairly supportive, never heard of the complaints system not working.

 

Thank you for replys, if there are any other issues please let me know before 1700 tomorrow, i will be amending the motion hopefully during the meeting and want to be armed as best possible to try to hit the core issues.

 

Keep your head down, do the hours and work part-time for a agency. Once qualified, get at least a years experience, then go abroad. No regrets for me moving to New Zealand.

Over here, student nurses pay for their courses through loans. Think yourself lucky.