Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 30 Sep 1997

Vol. 480 No. 6

Written Answers - Nursing Assessments System.

Seán Haughey

Question:

270 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will intervene to change the nursing assessments system involving preliminary interviews in view of the number of complaints in relation to its perceived unfairness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14378/97]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen):

I presume the Deputy is referring to the application and selection process operated by the Nursing Applications Centre for this year's intake of student nurses to the nursing registration-diploma programmes.

The Nursing Applications Centre was established on a pilot basis in 1995 in order to provide a national centralised appliction and selection system for applicants seeking places on the new pre-registration nursing registration-diploma programmes. Price Waterhouse Management Consultants are currently carrying out an evaluation of the centre with the overall aim of ensuring that the most up-to-date application and selection procedures are employed, with continued maximum equity and effectiveness. As part of this evaluation, Price Waterhouse are project managing the application-selection process for the 1997 intake of student nurses. They have been assisted in this task by the Local Appointments Commission.

Certain modifications to the procedures employed in previous years were introduced this year with the objective of streamlining the application-selection process. These include the replacement of the preliminary interview by a written assessment test. The tests used were selected by Price Waterhouse psychologists in consultation with professionals from the Local Appointments Commission. I have been informed that the decision to substitute a written assessment test for the preliminary interview is supported by a body of independent research which indicates that carefully chosen ability testing programmes as a method of shortlisting candidates for the final interview stage from large-scale applications is a fairer and more equitable system than using a large number of preliminary interview boards. In this context, the Deputy may be aware that assessment tests are used for screening applicants for entry to the Garda Síochána, the Prison Services and the officer ranks of the Defence Forces.

I would also make the point that the suitability of those applicants who successfully came through the written assessment test was subsequently decided by interview boards composed of a Matron-Director of Nursing, a Senior Nurse Tutor and an independent chairperson nominated by the Local Appointments Commission.

Price Waterhouse will report on their evaluation of the Nursing Applications Centre after the completion of the 1997 student intake to the nursing registration-diploma programmes. Decisions as to the future operations of the Nursing Applications Centre and the procedures employed by it will be made in the light of the recommendations contained in the management consultants' report, which will be informed by their experience of project managing this year's application-selection process.