Enhanced student allowance for health workforce priority areas

With interest-free student loans and first-year fees-free, the biggest financial challenge facing students is not education costs, but rather supporting themselves financially during their studies. This problem is exacerbated in healthcare education programmes where clinical placements are a key component of learning, such as Nursing. 

Two changes to our current student allowance scheme would address these financial challenges:

  • Remove all forms of income testing for student allowance in priority healthcare education programmes
  • Double the student allowance entitlement for students enrolled in priority healthcare education programmes

These two changes would provide strong incentives for students to enrol in priority healthcare education programmes. It is worth noting that priority areas could/should be changed over time, based on forecast health workforce needs. 

Why the contribution is important

Many students enrolled in healthcare education programmes are struggling to support themselves financially, leading to higher than desirable attrition rates. These financial pressures are particularly evident when the students are on placement, as they typically are unable to concurrently work part-time. Furthermore, with increased fuel costs, traveling to provincial/rural clinical placements is now financially out of reach for many students, which is expected to create further workforce shortages in these regions.

by waikatojo on October 30, 2022 at 12:19PM

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Average rating: 4.3
Based on: 8 votes

Comments

  • Posted by julietireland November 02, 2022 at 13:02

    This has consistently been reported for a lack of diversity in the psychology workforce - the inabililty to access student allowance for the required length of post graduate study

  • Posted by JaneDKey November 03, 2022 at 16:36

    I agree, health workforce students have a reduced capacity and availability to earn money to support their study. To increase the size of any workforce, reducing barriers to successfully completion of educational programs is not only pragmatic but essential.

  • Posted by CollegeofNursesAotearoa November 10, 2022 at 12:48

    Student Nurses should be able to access fees free education for the duration of their programme and be eligible for a payment to address living costs. Nurses are an essential workforce and already too few students can complete their studies for the reasons noted by other contributors. NZNO NSU survey 2021 noted 50% attrition rate - many of those students were Māori Tauira . If we are to have a sustainable nursing workforce going forward, action must be taken now to support student to choose study nursing and be able to stay in the programme through to registration

  • Posted by CollegeofNursesAotearoa November 10, 2022 at 12:49

    Student Nurses should be able to access fees free education for the duration of their programme and be eligible for a payment to address living costs. Nurses are an essential workforce and already too few students can complete their studies for the reasons noted by other contributors. NZNO NSU survey 2021 noted 50% attrition rate - many of those students were Māori Tauira . If we are to have a sustainable nursing workforce going forward, action must be taken now to support student to choose to study nursing and be able to stay in the programme through to registration

  • Posted by Fiona November 12, 2022 at 16:42

    Agree - and add Pharmacist students to this mix. There are more placements, which is a great learning tool. But students pay for a flat in either Dunedin/Auckland and must travel to different parts of the country for a few-week blocks, and fund this themselves. It also makes it difficult for students to earn some extra money to support themselves through part time jobs when they are not there for weeks at a time. This is making the degree less equitable and accessible for students.
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