It says that the 2010/11 draft health budget, which Ms Sturgeon is quizzed about today by the Scottish Parliament's health committee, proposes a cut in the budget which pays to train registered nurses.
RCN Scotland is concerned that a reduction in the number of registered nurses would come as nurses are increasingly important to improve the quality of patient care.
Theresa Fyffe, RCN Scotland director, said: ‘As the age profile of Scotland's nursing workforce grows older, with three out of 10 community nurses reaching retirement age within the next 10 years, and with a net outflow of nurses leaving the UK to work abroad, this would be the wrong time to cut the number of registered nurses entering the NHS in Scotland.'
