Nursing students in Wales are being pushed into poverty, with many forced to choose between buying food and travelling to clinical placements, while taking on mounting debt to pursue their careers.
RCN Wales is calling on the Welsh Government to undertake an urgent review of the true cost of studying nursing, and to ensure financial support reflects the real pressures students are facing.
This must include protecting and increasing the current non-means-tested bursary, alongside a fair means-tested system that takes account of individual circumstances.
RCN Wales is calling for nursing student support in Wales to be protected and increased with a non-means-tested NHS Wales bursary that is in line with the cost of living and adjusted according to inflation. This must be additional to the support available to nursing students via Student Finance Wales.
RCN Wales says while the current bursary is a vital foundation of support, it no longer reflects the reality of living costs or the financial demands of NHS placements.
RCN Wales says it is increasingly hearing from students across the country who are struggling to cope financially while studying.
Students have described not having enough money to travel to placements, while also working significant additional hours on top of full-time study and placements, leading to severe exhaustion. Many say they are being penalised by means testing where household income does not reflect their actual financial reality. Others have spoken about facing housing insecurity and struggling to meet basic living costs, with some even considering leaving their courses altogether because of the overwhelming financial pressures.
A mature student nurse in South Wales left a secure full time health care support worker role after almost two decades to pursue nursing. She described the financial impact as overwhelming, particularly while supporting a family during the cost of living crisis. The loss of stable income, combined with unpaid placements and rising household bills, forced the family to make significant sacrifices.
A student nurse in North Wales said training to become a nurse “takes everything from you emotionally and financially.” Her family completely reorganised their lives so she could study, with her partner moving to night shifts to become the sole earner while she completed placements and university work. She described the exhaustion of balancing unpaid clinical hours, academic demands and family life, often returning home drained and unable to spend meaningful time with loved ones.
A student midwife in South Wales explained that pursuing her career meant giving up financial security, reducing time with family and taking on part time work alongside full time placements to cover basic living costs. She spoke about missing important family events, struggling to pay bills and feeling constant pressure to balance study with survival.
Speaking from Liverpool during RCN Congress RCN Wales Executive Director Nicola Williams said:
“While we welcome the existing non-means-tested bursary, it simply does not go far enough in the current financial climate.
“We are hearing directly from students who cannot afford to get to placements, who are working exhausting hours alongside full-time study, and who are struggling to meet even their most basic needs. Some are being penalised by means testing that does not reflect their real circumstances, leaving them without the support they need.
“Students are telling us they feel unable to look after themselves, are experiencing housing insecurity and in some cases are considering leaving their course altogether.
“We cannot allow financial pressures due to the cost-of-living situation to drive future nurses out of the profession before they even qualify. This would be a devastating loss for patients and services across Wales.
“RCN Wales says that while support is in place, current funding arrangements do not reflect the actual financial pressures on students, particularly those undertaking long and demanding NHS placements.”
RCN Wales warns that without urgent action, financial hardship could force students out of training, worsening workforce shortages across NHS Wales.
The College is urging the Welsh government to act now to “care for the future nursing workforce” by ensuring those who wish to pursue a nursing career are properly financially supported.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Student nurses: what we're demanding | Royal College of Nursing
RCN Wales has an email your MS campaign: www.rcn.org.uk/email-your-ms
Open letter from RCN Wales nursing students: Open letter from nursing students across Wales | Royal College of Nursing
RCN Congress takes place in Liverpool from Monday 18 May to Thursday 21 May. During the week, RCN members will network, hear from keynote speakers and take part in vibrant debates about the issues affecting the nursing workforce. They will also participate in an education and development programme and visit our exhibition. Find out more.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK, including around 35,000 members in Wales. The RCN promotes the interests of nursing and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape health care policy.
For more information, contact the RCN Wales communications and media team on 02920 680 769 or mediawales@rcn.org.uk
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