It’s been a wee while since we featured some of Talking Up Scotland’s blog posts. Thanks, John! Hope your fundraiser is going well… If you’re reading this, get your purses and sporrans open!
Scottish Nurse Training is now at twice the rate of nurse training in England. Why is that? Here is Talking Up Scotland’s view on it.
This week the Scotsman tried to spread alarm over a drop in applicants for nurses course in Scotland. Their figures were based on a 2% reduction in applications, from 4,650 to 4,560. This is a full six months before ‘clearing’ processes – which can fill up the course places – start in the weeks before course starts.
The ‘alarm’ is from a union rep and the fall in applications is explained by poor working conditions, which in turn, is based upon a small sample, self-selecting (squeaky wheel) survey. And no there wasn’t any back-up evidence included.
Not mentioned, of course, is how this level of nurse training compares with other parts of the UK.
So…. Let’s Contrast and Compare
If Scotland is training 4,560 nurses how many might NHS England be expected to be training? At ten times the population, around 45,000?
It’s actually 26,330, not much over half the number you might expect they’d need. More info here from British Journal of Nursing.
Why is this? you may be wondering. This what the British Journal of Nursing said in April 2024:
- This UCAS data are more than just numbers; they reflect the changing dynamics in healthcare education and broader societal trends.
- The decrease in applications and acceptances could be attributed to various factors, including the intense pressures that health professionals have faced during the pandemic, which might deter potential applicants.
- The psychological and physical toll of the pandemic on healthcare workers has been widely publicised, possibly influencing the decision-making of those considering the profession.
What is the Scottish Government doing to encourage applications?
Only in Scotland: The Scottish Nursing Bursary: for Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Students
- The Scottish Government will pay your tuition fees. Graduates may need to check if the government will pay their fees. The bursary is £10,000, which isn’t means-tested.
- Funding covers the whole year (52 weeks). If you’re studying an honours degree, you’ll get 75% of the bursary in your fourth year. The bursary includes £5 for daily travel but you can claim for placement expenses above this. You’re expected to use the cheapest public transport. (In Scotland, bus travel is free for Scottish residents under 22 years old). If costs are more than £30 per day, you should stay in local accommodation if possible. In your first year, there’s also a £60 initial expenses allowance.
- Additional allowances include:
- Dependents Allowances – if you have a partner or spouse with a low income;
- Single Parents’ Allowance;
- Childcare Allowance – for registered childcare costs;
- Disabled Students’ Allowance. A discretionary fund is available for students in severe financial hardship.3
Thank you Scottish Government for not closing down our nursing bursary when Westminster closed down theirs.
More from Talking Up Scotland
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