Michael Ring
Question:517 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children if funding has been paid to St. Vincent’s Psychiatric Hospital, Fairview, Dublin, to pay psychiatric nursing students for their work experience. [11306/04]
View answerTuesday, 27 April 2004
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I presume the Deputy is referring to psychiatric nursing students on the undergraduate nursing degree programme who undertake a number of clinical placements throughout the academic year as part of their nursing studies. Nursing students do not get paid a salary while on clinical placements.
While on clinical placement, undergraduate nursing degree students are entitled to an accommodation allowance up to, but not exceeding, €50.79 per week where it is necessary for the student to obtain accommodation away from her/ his normal place of residence. It must be stressed that this allowance is payable only where it is necessary for a student to obtain a second accommodation for the duration of the placement. Students are also entitled to a weekly travel pass while on external clinical placement. These allowances are outlined in circular 9/2004 which recently issued from my Department.
Funding in respect of the costs associated with the clinical placement allowances was provided historically and on an ongoing basis to the relevant health agencies, including St. Vincent's Hospital, Fairview, for the pre-registration nursing diploma programme. While the pre-registration diploma programme will conclude this year, the funding will remain in the base determinations of the health agencies to which it was provided and will be used to fund the payment of clinical placement allowances to degree students. I have contacted St. Vincent's Hospital, Fairview, regarding this issue. St. Vincent's Hospital has confirmed no student needed to obtain a second accommodation for the duration of her/his placement and, therefore, no student was entitled to receive an accommodation allowance.
Under the terms of circular 43/2001, which governed the payment of external clinical placement allowances to students on the pre-registration nursing diploma programme, students are entitled to avail of allowances only when undertaking placements external to their normal hospital base. St. Vincent's Hospital has confirmed that degree students have not received travel passes to date, as hospital officials were unclear as to whether the students' affiliated hospital was still deemed to be the students' base. However, following clarification from my Department that the higher education institute is to be regarded as the students' base, St. Vincent's, Fairview, is arranging to reimburse degree students in respect of their travel costs.