'It's atrocious': psych and med students miss out on placement payments

Students undertaking mandatory pracs won't be able to access hundreds of dollars in government support that has been made available to their nursing and midwifery classmates.

Psychology students are required to do over 27 weeks of unpaid placements throughout their master's degree, University of Canberra student Taylor Geoffroy said.

"For them to only consider a minute amount of students is a bit ridiculous, and disheartening, especially since there's a huge need for more psychologists at the moment," the psychology student said.

"The student payments that exist at the moment are below the poverty line, and none of these payments take into consideration any students outside of the cookie cutter."

The study and placement load puts massive pressure on psychology students, and many are unable to work, Ms Geoffroy said.

"They say, with psychology specifically, you can work part time while you do your bachelor's, and then when you move into your honours and your master's don't even try and work, they are just so full on."

"The expectation for masters is that you do 1000 hours of unpaid placement over two years.

"My friends who are on Centrelink payments don't do anything outside of studying because they don't have the money, and my friends who work more hours then struggle with their studies because they are falling behind in classes.

"So it's a catch 22, there's no winning."

The decision to leave provisional psychologists out of this program goes against the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy, Universities Accord and Women's Economic Taskforce, Dr Catriona Davis-McCabe said.

"When the federal government is meeting just 35 per cent of its own psychology workforce target, it is baffling that provisional psychologists are ineligible for Commonwealth Prac Payments," the president of the Australian Psychology Society said.

"Studying psychology should be based on merit, not your ability to afford to live as you work compulsory unpaid placements hours.

"Once again psychologists are being overlooked which doesn't make sense during a mental health crisis."

Psychology is one of the most feminized workforces in Australia, with more than 80% of psychologists being women.

Medical students have also missed out on the new payments, with the national association starting a petition to encourage the government to open up the program.

The association argued that medical students are also "gravely affected" by the cost of living crisis but have been left out.

"We are calling on Minister Clare to include medical students on full time placements within the upcoming paid placements reform," the Association said on their petition.