A single mum-of-four says her hopes of becoming a nurse have been dashed after her university kicked her out for failing an assignment.
Student Rebecca Daly is "devastated" after being asked to leave her course at the University of Hull - and claims she should have been allowed to resit.
She gave up her job to train as a nurse at the university, but in her second year, has been told that she will need to wait until January 2021 to resume her learning.
This has left Miss Daly, who suffers with mental health issues and fibromyalgia, worrying about how she will pay her bills and feed her children, as she will be ineligible for student finance in the new year, reports Hull Live .
She says her future prospects of entering her dream career as a nurse have been "ruined" after the decision made to remove her from the course - and questioned her treatment amid a nationwide nursing shortage.
"I'm absolutely devastated, mentally and financially, that I've not been given the opportunity to resit the assignment that I'm entitled to. It's appalling," said the 37-year-old, who suffers from depression and anxiety.
"It's a really hard 4,000 word essay that was set for us to complete whilst we were on a seven-week placement and now because I failed it, I've been told that I'll have to wait until January 2021 to re-join the course, which I don't want to do.
"The country is crying out for nurses and yet this is how I've been treated. My future career has been ruined and there's been absolutely no compassion, despite having compassion drilled into us as future nurses.
"I feel like I've been left out to dry and now have no finances coming in - it's absolutely appalling. I'm a single parent with four kids aged five, eight, 11 and 16 and my only income was my student finance.
"Now I'm worrying about paying my rent and feeding my children as finding a job quickly will be hard."
The blow of being unable to resit the exam has left Miss Daly liable for payment of her student loan, despite being unable to walk out of university with a qualification if she does not resume the course in 2021.
She also says that she has incurred expense travelling to her placements over the last two years, as well as paying for parking costs and working for free - money that she will also be unable to recoup.
But despite appealing the decision made by the university, the educational establishment has stuck firm with their decision.
A spokeswoman for the University of Hull said: “We know that not being able to progress to the next stage of study can be difficult for any student.
"However, it is vital that we maintain the high standards required of us by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
“Decisions regarding student progression are made by examination boards at the end of each teaching and assessment period.
"Students are able to appeal against decisions made at these boards, and they are supported throughout this process.
“In some specific circumstances, though a student may not be able to progress immediately onto the next stage, a plan can be put in place to ensure that they are able to recommence their studies at a later date.
“We are unable to comment on individual cases.”
