University bosses have dropped their student training course at Burton’s Queen’s Hospital for reasons including falling numbers, it has been revealed. The number of nurses, midwives and pediatric nurses taking its course has plummeted in recent years, leading University of Wolverhampton bosses to suspend recruitment of its next batch of students who will s would normally train at a Burton Health Education Center facility at the hospital, Belvedere Road, Burton.
The news does not affect its current first and second year students on the course, but any prospective applicants are expected to travel to the university’s campuses in Walsall, Telford or Wolverhampton in the future to complete the course.
Burton health bosses said the university’s decision did not affect internships offered by the hospital, a spokeswoman said. It comes as the university announced it was suspending student recruitment for this month of September to 138 undergraduate and postgraduate courses it offers due to rising costs caused by the pandemic, d reduced recruitment and overseas travel difficulties affecting international students during the pandemic.
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Dr Sharon Arkell, Associate Dean and Director of the University’s School of Nursing, said: “The University of Wolverhampton is committed to ensuring an excellent student experience and this will always be at the heart of everything we do. do.
“We have made the decision to suspend recruitment of new students to the Burton Health Education Center at Burton Hospital, but will be teaching our existing students, currently in Years 1 and 2 of their coursework. The decision was made due to the declining student experience at Burton, as students do not have the full range of university facilities such as a library, student health and welfare, and labs. cutting-edge skills that we have on our other campuses. It is also in response to student feedback on the experience and a reduction in recruitment in recent years.
“We are in discussions with Derby University Hospitals and Burton NHS Foundation Trust [which runs Queen’s Hospital in the town] about the end of teaching at our Burton facility. However, we will continue to provide investment opportunities to the Trust in the future.
The university has approximately 30 students due to complete this year, of which approximately 75 will be taught from Burton over the next two years. The plan is for existing Years 1 and 2 students to continue to be taught at Burton for the next two years.
Gill Ogden, Director of Nursing at the Hospital Trust, said: “We are working closely with the University of Wolverhampton to provide clinical placements at Queen’s Hospital Burton for nursing, midwifery and pediatric students. The university has a training center located near the Queen’s Hospital Burton, their decision to move it has no impact on the internships we offer.
The university’s acting vice-chancellor, Professor Ian Campbell, recently announced that he would be suspending 138 of its courses, saying: “The higher education sector as a whole faces a number of significant challenges. . At the same time, as with many similar universities, our enrollment has declined, leading to a loss of income, compounded by the challenges of overseas travel which has impacted international students during the pandemic.
“The reduction in student income, combined with the increase in salary and non-salary costs, including pension costs, as well as the impact of the pandemic, means that the university faces a very difficult financial landscape and to a significant deficit in the current fiscal year.”
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