The Dáil has been debating a second motion calling for student nurses and midwives to be paid.
The government has said it won't oppose the motion.
Sinn Fein says it's unacceptable that those on student placements are not paid.
During a debate on paying student nurses Sinn Féin's Patricia Ryan tells Dáil a story of a student who was helping a patient to shower when his "toe came off in his sock" while she was on her own and couldn't leave the man.
"Imagine that. Imagine she doesn't get paid for that"
— Seán Defoe (@SeanDefoe) January 20, 2021
The party says it's shameful the new head of the Department of Health will get a pay rise of €80,000 while student nurses only get a new €100 a week payment.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly says the government doesn't underestimate the difficulty student nurses face.
However, Sinn Féin TD Patricia Ryan has argued they do not, saying "one student nurse told me recently that while helping a patient to shower, the patient's toe came off in his sock".
"The student nurse was on her own and could not leave the patient alone. They had to finish the patient's shower and then find a nurse to seek help. "
"Imagine that - imagine she doesn't get paid for that?!"
