Student nurse clinical placement funding

Funding of nurse education must be competitive and incentivise individuals to take up nursing as a career.

Clinical placements should be paid at the rate of a living wage. In Australia nurse students are fully paid for the their 2nd and 3rd years of study.

Costs of petrol and accomodation when required to travel away from home for clinical placements must be covered. This is equitable and fair.

Free fees to reduce the financial burden and reduce the need to work to survive over and above the 40 hour study week will improve recruitment and retention which is sorely needed right now. 

Attrition rates are approximately 50%, and retention must be improved to reduce nursing shortages.

Free fees plus clinical placement funding for any student who needs to leave their own home is a must as the financial burden and associated stressors are underpinning the attrition rates.

Student nurses are expected to complete 40 hours of study and clinical placements and have to work outside of these commitment to survive leading to exhaustion and increasing attrition rates. Many student nurses are mature and have families and housing expenses making the time and work commitments prohibitive.

This needs to change.