Student nurses and midwives are to get extra allowances for meals and subsistence, as part of a €9 million package first recommended in a 2021 review report.
For the extra costs of meals associated with practise placements outside of the student’s core placement site, nurses and midwives will receive €500 per year from the start of their studies through their third year.
For students who need housing away from their usual place of residence while attending practise placements, a new rate of €80 for overnight accommodations is being introduced, along with an increased weekly cap of €300.
When staying overnight, student nurses and midwives may also use the reasonable cost of uniform laundry services by providing a valid voucher.
Additionally, they will receive two extra uniforms when their internship begins.
For internship students, pay will be reinstated at 80% of the first year staff nurse/midwife pay scale.
Starting in September 2022, the government will retroactively apply the enhanced travel and subsistence supports to the beginning of the current academic year.
The actions taken by the Cabinet were praised by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organization.
It said these measures are an important step in supporting student nurses and midwives, but also in building measures to retain them on qualification.
“Students are affected by the same cost-of-living challenges as their qualified colleagues, with many of them struggling to meet the costs of transportation, fuel, heating, accommodation, and other necessities for completing their training,” said Roisin O’Connell, INMO Student and New Graduate Officer.
“This includes the cost of accommodation away from home during placements, which is simply unaffordable for students,” she said.
The INMO said it will now seek a meeting with the Department of Health officials to look at the details and implementation measures surrounding the report recommendations.
“The McHugh report was aimed at bringing allowances for student nurses and midwives in line with the expenses they always incur as part of their training,” Ms O’Connell said.
“But it was also important to recognise the additional challenges placed on students during the pandemic and the huge contribution they made to the frontline workforce,” she added.