Resolution: Student nurses

AMENDED TO: That this meeting of RCN Congress condemns the rostering of student nurses and student midwives to cover gaps in staffing.

This resolution passed.

Nursing students are preparing to join a safety critical profession. The NMC Education Standards state that students on placement must be supported to learn, this includes supernumerary status so that they are not counted as part of staffing numbers (NMC, 2023). RCN Congress passed a resolution in 2022 to ask Council to “lobby for the protection of supernumerary status for nursing students, recognising the impact of staffing shortages on student experience and our future workforce” (RCN, 2023). As a result, work is being undertaken by the College to create a clear RCN position on the protection of supernumerary status. 

This resolution is about the rostering of students to cover gaps in staffing which disregards students’ specific learning needs. 

Whilst the NMC cites the importance of pre-registration students experiencing the range of shifts experienced by registered nurses, it does not quantify this (NMC, 2023). To meet the required learning competencies students will need to work a variety of shifts, however excessive working of unsocial hours may not only compromise their learning opportunities but also their health and wellbeing. 

As each student has different learning needs at different stages of their education, it could be argued that they are best placed to lead discussions around their rosters. The NMC clearly stipulates that students must take responsibility for their learning to ensure effective practice learning. This includes seeking out opportunities to learn from a variety of people, environments, and settings. Working in collaboration with their practice supervisor, the student is best placed to tailor their experience to their specific learning needs and any necessary adjustments at that stage of their education (NMC, 2018).

RCN student members frequently raise concerns around their placements and cite regular experiences of their supernumerary status being compromised as they are used to fill gaps in staffing rotas, particularly over weekends and bank holidays. Feedback from students around the UK also includes being deployed as health care assistants, providing care with little explanation or supervision and a lack of mentorship and time for reflection. RCN Scotland has raised concerns with the chief nursing officer’s team within the Scottish Government about feedback from students being used to cover staffing gaps when on placement.

This resolution asks that this meeting of RCN Congress condemns the rostering of student nurses to cover gaps in staffing.

Reading list for this debate available at rcn.libguides.com/congress2023.

References

Nursing and Midwifery Council (2018) Standards for student supervision and assessment Part 2 1.7-1.10.Available at: www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/standards-of-proficiency/standards-for-student-supervision-and-assessment/student-supervision-assessment.pdf (Accessed 8 March 2023).

Nursing and Midwifery Council (2023) Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes Part 3 3.6. Available at: www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/standards/2023-pre-reg-standards/part-3-updated-standards-for-pre-registration-nursing-programmes-2023.pdf (Accessed 21 March 2023).

Royal College of Nursing (2023) Resolution: Supernumerary status. Available at: www.rcn.org.uk/congress/congress-events/supernumerary-status (Accessed 21 March 2023).