Outrage As Pregnant Student Nurses Told - "Buy Your Own Uniforms", UK

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Also Included In: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 04 Mar 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Telling pregnant student nurses to buy their own uniforms is "outrageous" said UNISON, the UK's largest public sector union.

The Staffordshire University, Shropshire is telling students to buy their own leggings and tunics when they become pregnant, so they can carry out their work experience on the wards.

Gail Adams, UNISON Head of Nursing, said:

"I have never heard anything so ridiculous. Pregnant student nurses are required to carry on working on the wards and to tell them to buy their own uniforms is frankly disgraceful, not to say illegal. "UNISON is calling for an urgent meeting with Staffordshire University to force them into dropping this Dickensian behaviour. It is the responsibility of every university to provide personal protective clothing for all students, including those who fall pregnant during their studies. "Staffordshire University needs to get up to date, stop ducking their financial responsibilities and start supporting, not penalising pregnant students. This sort of behaviour flies in the face of the positive work that the Department of Health has done recently, to help student nurses who become pregnant while training. "UNISON will be lobbying hard to make sure that charging stops immediately. In addition, we will ask the university to reimburse any student who has been made to pay for their uniform."

http://www.unison.org.uk