Student Nurse currently out in practice-should we be pulled out

[NurseMyPurse]

Just wondering if there are any other student nurses on here currently on placement in the NHS? I am a second year student on placement on a care of the elderly ward. I am loving my training but obviously these are very testing times. The university have advised anyone who falls in the at risk category to self isolate for 12 weeks but doing this will mean the rest of the year has to be deferred . I am proud to be on the front line helping patients but as we aren’t being paid to be there and a lot of my cohort feel we should be pulled out of placement. However as qualifying and getting our pins relies on us completing 2400 hours in practice. The other university in our city has today announced all healthcare students currently on placements have to come home and won’t be returning.

In a nut shell, if you work and do the 80% you will qualify 2 months early because you will have accrued the hours early.

If you choose to stay on the course you will do all the assignments (one or two of ours have a later hand-in date) and you will go on placement when the emergency measures are over. This will mean qualifying later and they don't know how much later.

If you receive student finance you will still get that either way.

If you choose to do 80% you will be paid at Band 3 (19k a year) or Band 4 (21k a year) depending on where you are on your course.
You will not pay tax or national insurance.

That's blanket information for all student nurses.

I don't know what the deal is for second year students, that information is for nurses in their final year.

They have offered Band 3 work to second year student nurses. I was talking to one the other day, she is still on placement.

Yes, my DD has been offered ( 2nd year)
She isn't sure what to do. If she lived alone she would do it in a heartbeat, but lives at home with 86 year old grandmother- and very concerned about risk to her.

We have had no real communication from our uni. There are a number of reasons I don’t want to do it but I’m not sure I am going to have a choice.

If you were a qualified nurse then you'd "have to do it," wouldn't you?

Nursing is a vocation, after all

Yeah but I’m not a qualified nurse, I’m still in training...

Also my DD is studying child nursing- and has been asked to work in an adult hospital- that was not something she signed up for at all.

Once she gets her degree she would not be qualified to work as an adult nurse- yet is being expected to nurse adults now.

Yeah but I’m not a qualified nurse, I’m still in training...

And you wouldn't still be training.
I know you said you didn't sign up for this, but you did sign up to be a professional healthcare provider.
I don't doubt that all the qualified nurses didn't imagine this happening in their career.
And all of them are being swept into areas that they didn't apply to work in.

I feel like we have a duty to help.

Also my DD is studying child nursing- and has been asked to work in an adult hospital- that was not something she signed up for at all.

That's not good.

I'm a children's nurse and I've done all my training with children. I would be no good in an adult ward.

And worst still I would be dangerous in a children's ward if I did my last 10 months in an adult ward.

I wouldn't do that at all.

I definitely feel I have a duty to help. I have signed up to be a nhs community volunteer, donated money to the cause and a few other things which I won’t mention here as they would be totally outing. Once I am qualified I will do anything I am prepared to do anything, I am totally passionate about being a nurse and have sacrificed SO much to get to where I am right now. However I don’t see how I would manage the 80%. I have no childcare as all the people who usually look after ds when I’m on placement (and I have never missed a single shift/lesson as my childcare is rock solid) are all isolating and living in different houses. He could go to school but they’re only open 9-3. I feel like I have a LOT of learning left and feel I’d be more of a hindrance than a help. I receive a (small but essential) universal credit payment that covers my rent and this would be stopped. Yes I would be paid instead but that means the first 300 I earn would be taken straight off me. I have mild asthma, not enough to self isolate for 12 weeks but enough that I am obviously concerned. I know a lot of healthcare staff are in this position and if I was a qualified nurse I would have course do anything that is asked of me and find a way but I’m not a qualified nurse, I’m still learning and the thought of going into placement 80% of the time scares me. My uni are pretty rubbish with support, issues have been raised by classmates and nothing has been done/no help offered. I have had some horrendous placements where students have been totally ignored and used as skivvies for 8 weeks. This has immediately been reported to uni but I know it’s just the nature of being a student however I feel like it would be 10 times worse.

All of these might sound like I’m just making excuses but as I said, I am very passionate about being a nurse and helping but I don’t want to do this

Do you get student finance?

If you do, you will still get paid that. As well as band 3 payment.

You'd actually get about £2,000 a month take home.

But I see your point with DS, you could find a childminder.

With regards to learning, they are still teaching you. You're still considered a student nurse, you don't have a pin and you aren't registered.

I hear you about shit placements though, adult nursing placements are fucking awful from what I've been told.