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Volunteer nursing students to join the NHS early to combat coronavirus

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ nursing students have answered a call to support the National Health Service (NHS), and will soon be entering practice to help in the battle against coronavirus (Covid-19).

The current crisis is placing unprecedented demands on the NHS, and the government has called for universities, organisations and individuals to support efforts to relieve pressure on the health service in any ways they can. As part of the regional universities network, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ is working with Health Education England and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to provide vital equipment and resources to the NHS.

The University has also rapidly developed plans to enable nursing students from its School of Health & Life Sciences (SHLS) to take up placement positions, and use their knowledge and clinical skills on the coronavirus frontline.

It is hoped that many third year students, in the final months of their courses, will then join the NMC’s emergency temporary register of nursing students and enter the workforce early as staff nurses over the coming weeks. In addition, less experienced second year students are stepping up to serve as healthcare assistants.

The practical experience they gain will stand the students in good stead as º£½ÇÖ±²¥, along with other universities, will recognise their achievements and their efforts will count towards their overall degree assessments.

Matthew Van Loo, Principal Lecturer (Nursing and Midwifery), says the response from º£½ÇÖ±²¥ students has been overwhelming: ‘Our students are keen to help and they’ll be a great asset to the NHS in challenging circumstances.

‘They are naturally caring people, and they have each had to consider the risks involved and juggle commitments to make this happen.

‘We are immensely proud of them and we will offer them all the support we can throughout their emergency placements.’

Two º£½ÇÖ±²¥ students who are stepping up to help the NHS are Cameron Berry and Charlie Crichton.

Cameron, a 22-year-old third year BSc Nursing Studies (Adult) student from Richmond, North Yorkshire, says: ‘The NHS needs our support now and I just want to help in any way I can. It’ll be a great learning experience to be thrown in at the deep end.

‘Most of my friends are student nurses and they’re very supportive of what I’m doing, but it’s not just me, lots of people have volunteered.

‘It proves how passionate we all are about nursing, and caring for people who need our help.’

Mature student Charlie Crichton lives in Northallerton with her partner and young daughter, and she says: ‘I discussed the situation with my partner and we talked about the risk of infection, and the mental health implications of me possibly having to self-isolate away from him and my little girl.

‘He understood where I was coming from and he got on board with it straight away.

Asked if she has a message for other student nurse volunteers, she adds: ‘Look after your mental health and remember to always be kind and stay positive. No matter how bad your situation, there is always someone else worse off.’

• NHS
• Nursing
• Coronavirus
• Covid-19
• Health