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Plan to chop six months off nursing degree sparks criticism

Proposal to curtail three-year nursing courses seen as risky move that raises prospect of inferior education
Young graduates standing in front of university building on graduation day

Proposal to curtail three-year nursing courses seen as risky move that raises prospect of inferior education

Young graduates standing in front of university building on graduation day
Picture: iStock

Nursing degrees could be reduced in length as ministers look for ways to plug chronic NHS workforce shortages.

Under the plans, nursing students could qualify after two and a half years, reducing the degree time by six months.

Nursing leaders and health unions have warned the move could jeopardise patient safety and erode the education available to nursing students.

The controversial proposals are expected to be set out in the delayed NHS workforce plan, according to the Independent newspaper.

Warning over trying to cram an honours degree worth of knowledge into a part-time university course

Newman University head of adult nursing Kevin Crimmons said three years was the ‘bare minimum’ needed for a nursing degree. ‘The ultimate concern I have is patient safety. You’re going to have students that are having an inferior education,’ he told Nursing Standard.

‘Currently, for students studying a nursing degree only 18 months of that first three years are actually spent in university. Are they saying we could shorten that further when already it’s a big ask to try and cram in an honours degree level worth of knowledge into what amounts to be a part-time university course because of placement hours?’

While details on the proposals are scarce, Mr Crimmons suggested the government might be looking to cut the number of placement hours required to qualify, which is currently 2,300 hours. ‘That’s the big limiter on what universities can offer, the total amount of students we can place at any one time,’ he said.

‘If the government are serious about increasing UK nursing numbers… they need to work with the universities and the directors of nursing at trusts to come up with a robust strategy that will work.

‘I have no confidence they understand what the problem is, other than there is a shortage of nurses.’

Nursing students training with mannequins
Nursing students training with mannequins Picture: Neil O’Connor

Shortage of students could be fixed by covering tuition fees and other university costs

Alongside a reduction in degree length, the government is reportedly looking to boost the number of nurses who qualify through apprenticeships. Earlier this month NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard said the NHS was looking to expand apprenticeship schemes over the coming years, with up to a third of nurses trained on the job.

RCN director of nursing Nicola Ranger said: ‘Training on the job or spending less time in education are both high risk moves that could compromise the supply of highly skilled nursing staff needed.

‘The real issue is the shortage of students, not the time it takes. The policy to fix these shortages is to cover the tuition fees and costs of university for nursing students to rapidly boost numbers.’

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the upcoming workforce plan will address the issue of the number of nurses needed in the coming years.

‘We are continually improving medical and nursing training and have introduced innovations including blended online nursing degrees and medical and nursing apprenticeships, alongside increasing the number of hours of simulated training, providing greater flexibility.’


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