Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
660. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to introduce a return of the service arrangement payment for those studying nursing to allow for a waiving of student fees in return for working in the HSE for a set period of time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12555/21]
View answerThis is a matter for the Department of Health, who have advised that the deputy is referring to the sponsorship scheme available for support staff in the Irish public health service wishing to obtain a qualification in nursing or midwifery.
To be eligible, applicants must be directly involved in delivering care to patients or clients in a nursing context. For example, healthcare assistants and multi-task attendants are eligible for the sponsorship scheme. The number of sponsorships available each year is determined by the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director in the HSE. This scheme commenced in 2002 and 30 sponsorships have been awarded each year since 2017.
While in the scheme, the students retain their substantive posts. The students' basic salary is paid for the duration of their nursing or midwifery degree programme and they are expected to return to their post outside of the academic semesters for the duration of the programme.
After completing the degree programme, graduates must register as a nurse or midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). They are also asked to sign a service agreement and commit to work as a registered nurse or midwife in the Irish health services for a period of 5 years after registration.
Further information on the requirements and application process of the sponsorship scheme can be found on https://healthservice.hse.ie/about-us/onmsd/cpd-for-nurses-and-midwives/onmsd-sponsorship-schemes/public-health-service-employees.html
