Student nurses face further training in uni error

About 200 nursing graduates are having to complete a further eight weeks training

About 200 student nurses who thought they had completed their degrees have been told they are not fully qualified.

Canterbury Christ Church University said it had miscalculated their placement hours meaning they will now be forced to do up to a further eight weeks of training.

Many of the affected students already had jobs lined up.

The university issued an apology to the students and said they would not be left "worse off financially".

It said there had been an error in the university's calculation of students’ clinical practice hours since the Covid pandemic.

As a result, university officials said they had "uncovered a shortfall in their completed placement hours".

The affected students were studying on three degree courses - BSc adult nursing, BSc child nursing, and MSc adult and mental health nursing.

The number of hours needed to be made up varies across courses and circumstances, but the university said it expected it to be no more than eight weeks.

Leanne Clark has a nursing job lined up at a GP surgery in Ashford

Student Leanne Clark said: "I'm absolutely devastated. I don't understand how this has happened.

"We were expecting to be qualified nurses by now and have been told this hasn't happened.

"I have a job lined up and I'm not sure what is going to happen next."

A university spokesman said officials met with students on Friday: "We have apologised to our students for this oversight.

"The financial impact on students will be addressed and they will not be worse off financially as a result of any short delay.

"Job offers in Kent and Medway will all be guaranteed for students and we are minimising the impact as much as we can by ensuring they are able to complete their practice hours at their place of future employment.

"We are offering wellbeing support wherever required.”

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