18 November 2025
Some students have been forced to quit their part-time jobs in order to meet their academic and clinical placement requirements, according to a survey of Australian radiography students.
More than 85% of students surveyed said financial stress was negatively impacting their learning, with a quarter considering dropping out. The study was published in the Journal of Medical Radiation Science.
The researchers have called for urgent financial support for students, and commended ASMIRT for its $500 student placement support grant.
"Supporting students, financially, academically, and emotionally, is not only an investment in their individual success, but also in the resilience and quality of Australia’s healthcare system," they said.
The survey targeted students in their final two years of the four-year degree, along with students within two years post-graduation. The survey collected both quantitative and qualitative data on financial stress during work-integrated-learning placements. Of 250 eligible participants, 56 responded, with 28 complete responses included in the analysis.
Despite the small sample size, the findings are consistent with results from a survey of 426 ASMIRT student members earlier this year. At that time, three quarters of students said they were not confident they could support themselves financially while undertaking placement.
When Work Integrated Learning Costs Too Much: The Hidden Toll of Clinical Placements was written by Vicki Braithwaite, Therese Gunn, Pamela Rowntree and Judith Singleton.
