One student nurse says 'maltreatment' by the HSE during the pandemic has left 'a cynical taste' in his mouth.
Student nurses and midwives have been protesting outside Leinster House over poor pay and work conditions.
Allowances are currently capped at €50 a week for travel and accommodation for student nurses and midwives.
While there are reports that student nurses in their fourth year internship are to get a 12.5% pay increase.
The timescale of a separate €100 weekly placement grant is also set to be extended, with the total cost expected to be €6m annually.
Third year general nursing student, Ciarán Freeman, told Lunchtime Live the protest is because of their "continued maltreatment".
"We're looking for fair and adequate financial supports for students across Ireland.
"There's 4,500 student nurses in Ireland at the minute, and a good majority of these will be on place at the minute - like myself.
"And we're dealing with inadequate allowances at the moment that were in place at the start of the pandemic, and they've had 20 months now to increase them and they haven't.
"Continually just pushing the ball down the road; so what we're trying to do now today is give a motivating factor to the Government to speed up the increased allowances for us".
He says working during the pandemic has been stressful and "a personality-changing time".
"It's made me a much more stronger person, but it's also made me quite cynical of the way the HSE's attitude towards student nurses have been over the last 20 months.
"What its really taught me is Ireland doesn't necessarily have a great attitude towards... nursing and midwifery in general.
"And it's kind of put a cynical taste in my mouth, and the mouths of many other students, about a potential career in Ireland going forward.
"I think that's a note for everybody listening to remember".
He says a report on the allowances, that was finished and presented to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on August 12th, has not yet been released.
"We need the Minister to release the report so we can have a look at it, and implement its findings with urgency".
And Ciarán says they will believe reports of an increase in allowances when they see it.
"We can't actually take that as fact until we get a commitment from the Minister himself, and I can't actually comment on it until that happens.
"It's happened in the past that the Minister has made these claims either in the Seanad or over media."
He adds it is "rather convenient" this story was floated just hours ahead of their planned protest.
