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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 29 May 1996

Vol. 466 No. 2

Written Answers. - Student Nurses.

Michael Creed

Question:

70 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Health the reason there are different educational requirements demanded from candidates in respect of nursing under the apprenticeship training model and the university training course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11201/96]

Limerick East): The Bord Altranais minimum requirement for entry to nurse training is: grade C/C3 or higher in two higher level papers and grade D/D3 or higher in four ordinary or higher level papers in the subjects Irish, English, mathematics, a science subject and two others, accumulated over not more than two sittings of the leaving certificate.

In practice individual schools of nursing have operated higher requirements than the Bord Altranais minimum due to the numbers of applicants applying for places in nurse training each year. The requirements actually operated have also differed between schools.

The education requirement applying to the registration-diploma programme is based on the Bord Altranais minimum, adapted to take account of third level requirements. This education requirement is: grade C/C3 or higher in two higher level papers and grade D/D3 or higher in four ordinary of higher level papers in the subjects Irish, English, mathematics, another language, a laboratory science subject and one other, accumulated over not more than two sittings of the leaving certificate.

All applicants who satisfy this requirement and who are 17 years of age by 1 January of the year of application are eligible to compete for places in all schools offering the new programme. This standard entry requirement facilitates centralised processing of applications by the nursing applications centre which enable applicants to apply to all schools offering the registration-diploma programme by way of a single application. The result is a streamlined system for applicants avoiding the need for a multiplicity of applications to individual schools which applied previously. It should be noted that 50 per cent of the participating schools of nursing accept applications for the new registration-diploma programme on the basis of a lower educational requirement than they previously applied.
Schools which continue to offer the traditional apprenticeship training are not affected by this change.
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