Student nurses have to work on the frontline and have to pay the full fee, but they’re not paid!

DUBLIN: It is saddening that the student nurses working on the frontline during the COVID-19 crisis have still not been paid. Although they have to pay the full fee, they are not paid for the work they do.

Department of Health engages with trade unions to revise existing student nurse and midwife allowances for clinical placements.

Final year student nurses and midwives take up clinical practice placements. But they are paid less than health care assistants and fully qualified nurses. Some receive a weekly allowance of €50.79.

Placements were suspended for the first to third year students during the first wave of COVID-19. But, HSE had offered these students jobs as Health Care Assistants (HCAs). However, officials are looking at reopening of the HCA initiative.

HCA rates were paid to nurses in their final year of internship. However, this year’s first to third year students are expected to complete their placements unpaid.

Normally, students from first to third year used to work part time as HCAs on weekends but now, it is discouraging because of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Meadhbh Flynn, a final-year student nurse in Dublin, said the HCA initiative should be reinstated.

She said the students had to pay the full fee (€3000 per year), but they had to work for free. People don’t realise all those, she added. Ms. Flynn said some nurses are paying for accommodation above this.