Student Loan Rules Deprive New Zealand of Skilled, Experienced Nurses.

07 February 2007

Hundreds of qualified nurses could be excluded from practicing as a result of student loan eligibility rules, according to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO).

Nurses who have been out of practice for more than five years are required to complete a Return to Nursing programme before they can offer their desperately needed skills and experience to a health system crying out for skilled staff. But Return to Nursing programme participants are not eligible for student loans, creating a significant financial barrier many find too difficult to overcome.

Members of the NZNO National Student Unit will present their concerns to the Education and Science Select Committee at 10am today. The nursing students will make a submission on the Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill (No.2).

“Most people offering to rejoin the healthcare workforce have substantial financial and family commitments,” says NZNO student spokesperson Kerry-Ann O’Leary. “The costs involved in undertaking study are unnecessarily prohibitive. It’s a lose-lose situation and the absolute least the Government should do to help is offer Student Loans.”

Return to Nursing programmes require between five and twelve weeks’ full time study and carry fees of $1500.00.

NZNO Professional Nursing Advisor Suzanne Rolls says that NZNO receives at least three calls a week in their national office from nurses seeking to return to the workforce.

The NZNO National Student Unit will express their support for aspects of the Bill including access to student loans for overseas study and the introduction of a repayment amnesty for graduates living abroad.

“The Bill has some good aspects that will relieve some of the pressure on nurses trying to repay their loans. But it does not go far enough. A lot more has to be done to help ensure New Zealand has a full quota of well trained nursing professionals,” says Kerry-Ann O’Leary.

ENDS