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Nursing drop-out rate rising

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Published Date: 09 April 2008
By LYNDSAY MOSS
THE number of nursing students dropping out of their course is rising, figures revealed yesterday.
Across the UK, 26.3 per cent of student nurses due to finish their programme in 2006 left early, up from 24.8 two years earlier, according to Nursing Standard magazine.

Drop-outs are estimated to cost more than £98 million a year, the magazine said.

Figures obtained by Nursing Standard magazine found 15 per cent of nursing trainees at Glasgow Caledonian University dropped out of their course, making it among the ten lowest drop-out rates in the UK. The lowest was 6 per cent at the University of Liverpool.

Gill Robertson, a student adviser at the Royal College of Nursing, said: "The money wasted is deplorable and the effect on students and their families is enormous.

"It is time that much more work and investment was in place to reduce this. If it is possible in some universities, it is possible in them all."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: "If a student nurse drops out of training, then the funding for that place ceases.

"Universities therefore have a tangible incentive to keep students in their courses."





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  • Last Updated: 09 April 2008 12:19 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Health of the NHS
 
1

Leon Rudman,

England 09/04/2008 13:45:35
My Wife is a Student Nurse (part-time) and she's considered leaving her course becasue of the financial pressures. All student nurses (on the diploma course) get a non means tested bursary, which is the supplemented by additional (means tested) allowances. As is often the case with means testing it's married families which lose out. As it stands at the moment, my wife gets no additional help with childcare, dependants, etc. I've calcualted that the £425 pcm that she is paid doesn't even cover the cost of childcare and fuel related to her attending lectures or placement. What ever way you cut it, it actually costs us to have my wife train. There seems to be an entire plethora of additional allowances for single parents, even though those allowances are the same as those that the tax credits system provides. The only difference being of course is that we get to employ even more civil servants this way.

Lastly, I'd question whether universities are the best place to be training nurses. Certainly I'd agree that such establishments have a role to play in nurse training post registration; however, I fear that their involvement in pre-registration training has more than likely had a detrimental effect on standards overall. The rationale for allowing this situation to continue is unlclear. Now that we know there's an attrition rate of 25%, I hope that analysis is being undertaken to discover the reasons and or common factors. I for one would be more than interested to find out if within the drop outs a disproportionate number were working married mothers. I wouldn't expect the government to do anything about the situation. For as long as they can rely on a plentiful and steady supply of overseas nurses, they won't be minded to bring about any real change.
2

Eleana,

Bonnyrigg 09/04/2008 22:50:44
The Diploma offers 50% practical experience but even on placement when doing 12 hour shifts, the students have to complete reflective accounts, keep their portfolio of evidence up-to-date and also do university grade assignments. The course is very hard work. Because of shift work it is difficult to be able to get a part-time job that will be flexible. All travelling expenses come out of the bursary and if you are in halls of residence 2/3rds of it is taken by room alone.

 

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