Liz McManus
Ceist:179 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the status of third year nursing students who fail either or both of their final examinations in terms of retraining for employment in hospital. [3154/01]
Written Answers. - Nursing Staff.
Students undertaking the three year pre-registration nursing diploma programme are not employees of the health service and have the status of third level students. A third year nursing diploma student must meet the requirements of An Bord Altranais and the relevant third level institution. The student must successfully complete the final registration examination of An Bord Altranais in order to be eligible for entry to the nurses' register. If the student is unsuccessful, he/she is entitled to two further attempts at this examination.
A student who is unsuccessful at the third attempt in the final registration examination will have his or her nursing training discontinued. The student may, however, be employed in a non-nursing capacity within the health service. Whether that employment is with the teaching hospital where the nursing training was undertaken is a matter for the hospital in consultation with the student concerned.