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Nursing Midwifes

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Hundreds of students studying nursing, midwifery and other medical based degrees in Sheffield have shown outrage towards the proposal to remove bursaries and replace them with loans over the coming academic years.

Plans to remove NHS bursaries granted to student’s in the medicinal field were announced under George Osbourne’s Comprehensive Spending Review last November. The Health Education England’s education and training budget of £5bn has been highlighted by the Government as part of the Chancellors proposal to introduce more spending cuts.

Currently, student nurses and midwives receive an annual bursary from the NHS whilst they study - which they do not have to pay back. They also do not have to pay tuition fees. At the moment, student …show more content…

With hospitals and clinics struggling to accommodate students at present, questions have been posed that the proposed extra 10,000 nurses George Osbourne claims by 2020 will be trained is highly unlikely.

First year student midwife at Sheffield Hallam University, Niamh O’loghlen, commented:
“They’re going to get less people applying to health care jobs when they’ve got a shortage of them and need as many nurses, midwives and doctors as they can.”
Her statement is backed by the Royal College of Nursing who believe that getting rid of bursaries would mean talented would-be nurses and midwives would choose different career paths.
Student midwife Ms O’loghlen also said:
“They won’t get people applying who have a real passion for the nursing and midwifery fields. But those who have money and can afford to live without a bursary.”

At the present moment, over half of those applying to study nursing are turned away, therefore showing there are no shortages in those eager to work in the profession. But the bursary cuts could see the number of those applying fall by August 2017 in which the plans are proposed to take

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