Student nurses midwives can look forward to a pay increase next month as part of a €3.5 million plan to improve conditions and encourage Irish talent to stay in the country.
Fourth year students will earn €9.48 per hour as of March 1, bringing them above the minimum wage for the first time since the savage cuts imposed by the government during the recession in 2011.
Around 1,400 student nurses, who must complete a compulsory 36- week clinical placement on a ward in year four, will benefit from the increase, which will see their wages rise from €6.86 per hour to €9.48.
After graduating, a registered nurse or midwife can expect to make €29,497 per annum at the second stage of the staff nurse scale.
