Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 October 2023
532. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health what efforts are being made to ensure that people working as healthcare assistants who have overseas nursing qualifications can register as nurses in Ireland in a streamlined process to address the current shortage of nurses in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46221/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, all nurses and midwives who practise in Ireland must be registered on the Register of Nurses and Midwives, maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). The NMBI are the independent, statutory body which sets the standards for the education of nurses and midwives in Ireland and have a legislated function to protect the public.
In completing this function, rigorous evaluation of information and thorough regulatory checks are required when processing applications from those who want to register to practise in Ireland. There are a number of resources available to advise all applicants with the process and each step, including an Applicant Guide, which is available to download on the NMBI website.
As part of the registration process, all registration applicants must demonstrate to the NMBI that they have the necessary proficiency in English to communicate effectively and safely in their practise. For many overseas educated applicants, this means taking an English language test and submitting a certificate of test results, again there is a number of options for overseas applicants to support them.
Since the introduction of NMBI’s online registration portal “MyNMBI”, applicants are provided with their own credentials which allows them to upload documents to their own account and to review the progress of their application, which has assisted in streamlining the process.
l welcome registration applications from those that were educated overseas. I would like to acknowledge the significant contribution that overseas healthcare service employees provide. I am hugely committed to supporting the nursing and midwifery workforce and ensuring a stable and sustainable nursing and midwifery workforce is a priority for me. My Department engages with the NMBI regularly and the registration process is continually reviewed to ensure is remains straightforward and meets demand.
