Nursing students sign up to support the NHS

More than 200 nursing students have answered the government’s call to step up and help the health service by offering extra people hours to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

212 third and second year students from all four nursing fields have opted in to take Clinical Extended Placements.

This means third year students in the final six months of their degree could be in full-time clinical practice, supporting health colleagues during the pandemic (pending the outcome of their application).

As they start over the next few weeks, there will be extra nursing hands in the workforce supporting and enabling their registered peers to care for more seriously ill patients.

Final year students in the first six months of their year will spend 80% of their time in clinical practice and 20% of their time in online academic study (which is the same for second year students).

Usually, the clinical/academic split for second and third year nursing students is an equal 50/50.

Although the locations of their Clinical Extended Placement are yet to be confirmed, many have asked to work in Northamptonshire.

This follows a move from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) – the profession’s regulator – late last month to allow more flexibility for nursing and midwifery programmes.

Donna Bray, Subject Lead for Nursing at the University of Northampton, said: “This was a difficult decision for our students to make but we are living in difficult times. So, I am pleased to see that our nursing cohorts have signed up on the double, bringing their energy and commitment to this ongoing battle.

“University nursing lecturers will continue to teach and support them wherever they are located and are rightly proud of the way all our students have responded to this national crisis.”