Bursary call for student nurses

The RCN said trainee nurses were "struggling to survive financially"

Student nurses are being forced to quit their courses because of mounting debt, according to a nursing body.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Scotland has called for their annual bursary to be increased to £10,000.

Currently, students under the age of 26 are given a payment of £5,845 a year and those over 26 receive £6,580.

The RCN said these levels were causing "real financial hardship" but the Scottish Executive insisted that financial support was sufficient.

The RCN said that most of its members had run up "huge" credit card debts to finance their studies.

Its interim director for Scotland, Jill Cox, issued a public plea for an increase at a Nursing Times exhibition in Glasgow.

"Currently most student nurses are struggling to survive financially," she said.

Nursing students are living below the poverty line Jill Cox RCN Scotland

"With the average age of a nursing student being 29, most already have family commitments, homes and childcare to pay for as well as transport to and from university and placements."

She said that while most students had part-time jobs, student nurses had a longer academic year, had to work shifts and often had to travel to get a good placement.

'Skilled nurses'

"Nursing students are living below the poverty line," she said.

"They need a bigger bursary so they can concentrate on becoming skilled nurses and not how they are going to pay their bills next month."

She appealed to the Scottish Executive to work with the RCN and students to support them through their studies.

An executive spokeswoman said the bursary in Scotland has increased by about 25% since 1998.

"We believe that the current financial support is adequate to support nurses and midwives in training," she said.