"This is a big commitment and has never been done before."

These are the words of a student nurse from Bradford as she prepares for the NHS frontline in the time of a pandemic.

A government announcement last week revealed around 18,700 final year student nurses will take on roles in hospitals across the country.

It's an unprecedented move, leaving many students feeling "anxious about the unknown" with no answers about when they will start, where they will be placed and what roles await.

The student has already spent time in hospitals as part of her placements and knows how to deal with the normal pressures facing A&E wards.

But this, she feels, might be a different beast.

She told the Telegraph & Argus: "I feel as though I have had good experiences on acute wards, others have not been so lucky. There is worry from others that they have never been on an acute ward and they may not get the support needed.

"Obviously there is a higher risk of us getting coronavirus if we are going to be working within a hospital. I work bank shifts as a health care assistant and have already seen the changes put into place due to the coronavirus.

"I often do shifts in A&E, we now have to wear masks for our full 12 hour shifts, it is very physically and mentally draining. It is tiring just thinking of having to wear a mask and full PPE whilst doing 30+ hour weeks.

"From seeing how other countries are struggling and watching staff fighting for their lives due to coronavirus is very concerning for students expected to go out into practice.

" I am unable to concentrate on finishing essays due to nerves.

"The hospital is working hard to ensure all staff are safe and I believe we will be supported."

This student is among the first cohort of student nurses paying £9,250 a year university fees with no bursary.

The year group narrowly missed out on health secretary Matt Hancock's move to bring back the bursary, accessible to new nursing students only.

Student nurses are expected to work 12 hour placements with no pay and study which are two reasons why many are calling for their tuition fees to be scrapped as a thanks.

A number of online petitions have since launched on websites such as change.org and the Government's official petition site in response.

In one of the petitions on the UK Government and Parliament site, an anonymous campaigner says: "This year's cohort slip through the gap and are left with lots of debt.

"We are now needed to stop our studies early and support with the pandemic.

"The cohort of final year nurses, qualifying 2020, have been under immense strain emotionally and financially."

And the Bradford student nurse we spoke to agrees.

She explained: "We have been the first cohort to have practical exams every year, the first cohort to not get a bursary or our university fees paid for, the first to have our mentors assess us online (they had no clue how to do it and neither did we) and now we are being told we either go into practice for six months or defer until the crisis is over.

"I don't understand why our fees can't be paid, the government is now practically begging for us to help out, the least they can do is reimburse student nurses fees.

"All is a bit up in the air at the moment, think us as student nurses would just like some clarity on when and how this is going to start."

What has the NHS said about the plans to enroll student nurses?

Ruth May, the chief nursing officer for England, said it has held talks with universities to make nurses available as soon as possible.

She said third-year students will moved "urgently" on to emergency clinical placement.

They will provide services as part of a final placement on their nursing course with an opportunity to upskill.

There will be supervisors and practice hours will contribute to their degree.

These third-year nursing students in final placement will also be offered a temporary formal contract to move into an NHS healthcare position.

The chief could not give an official start date for students.

The chief said: "COVID-19 is an established significant pandemic across the UK and globally.  The services across health and care sectors are under extreme pressure and I am aware that this pressure will be exacerbated by staff shortages due to sickness, isolation and/or caring responsibilities.

"Nurses, midwives and nursing associates make up the largest group of registered healthcare professionals and although all professionals are equally important and valued, there are specific challenges to ensure the ongoing provision of a nursing and midwifery workforce within this emergency environment.

"I must stress that decisions have not been taken lightly and there has also been consideration of risks of potential unintended consequences and mitigation of them."