Irish student nurse pens emotional open letter to Health Minister Simon Harris

"We are worth so much more."

A Dublin-based student nurse has written an emotional open letter to the Minister for Health, Simon Harris. The now-viral post sees 28-year-old Tara Nic Chormaic open up about the "beyond shocking" conditions student and staff nurses are facing, as she voiced her fears for the future of the health service. Her letter begins:

"Dear Mr Harris, "I don’t know of any other undergraduate courses in Ireland outside health-sciences where one day your bringing life into the world, and the next holding the hands of someone leaving this world. "Comforting families who’ve been totally broken apart. Nurses are glue. "We hold teams, families, friends and patients together. "We try and stop people from taking their own lives, instill hope. Many of us can’t do it for ourselves. "Why are student nurses going home crying at the end of a week of 39hours unpaid placements and a further 36 hours of their normal jobs to keep a roof over their heads because student grants are just a drop in the ocean to helping with student debt."

She goes on to talk about how while student nurses aren't officially "counted in the numbers", they have a huge effect on the wards "to the point without students the wards would collapse at times". Tara's letter continued:

"You keep talking about retaining nurses. If we don’t get treated well in training why would we think it’ll be any better when we qualify. "We see the stress qualified nurses are under to feed their families and keep a roof over their head as it is. "Nurses sleeping in their cars. New graduates not able to afford their rent and mortgages or even dream of ever getting a mortgage without moving away. "Despite this we go in day after day and care for everyone else when we can’t care for ourselves."

In her letter, which was posted on April 15, Tara recalls how she had €6.49 to spend on food for the week - which was "more than normal. To keep me going for a week." The post went on:

"Not sure if you know but Nursing is a physically and mentally demanding job. You need energy. Energy comes from food and sleep. "Two basics that I just don’t get because I choose in the face of adversity to better myself. To do what I’ve always wanted to do and become a nurse. To help others. "I’m a Children’s and General Nursing student. Everyone tells me I’m incredibly lucky to be in such a prestigious course and how it’ll stand to me and be worth it in the end. "€28768 a year as a staff nurse. €2791 I earn extra a year for having dual qualification. "Four and a half years of studying and doing the same workloads as General Nursing students at the same time as covering the extra work, study, assignments, exams, placements and stress of doing the Children’s Nursing aspect for €2791 extra a year when I qualify. "That doesn’t even cover one years student contribution fee. That doesn’t touch the student loans I’ve had to take out because of the cost of living (and it’s far from a fancy life I live). "Student and Staff Nurses are burnout. The conditions and pay we are working under are beyond shocking. "The job we do is worth so much more. We are worth so much more. When will you see that?"

Her post has gotten a huge amount of reaction online, with more than 8,200 likes and almost 3,500 shares at the time of writing.