Written answers

Wednesday, 2 June 2010

Department of Health and Children

Nursing Education

8:00 pm

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 102: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if there is any appeals process in place for students who fail to be called to the interview stage of a programme run by the nursing careers centre; the way a person (details supplied) in Dublin 13 can avail of this appeals process. [23671/10]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I have been advised by the Nursing Careers Centre (NCC), which is under the management of An Bord Altranais, that there is no appeals process for students who fail to be called to the interview stage of the Entry Competition for Mature Students into a Nursing Career Programme run by the NCC.

The current process for selection of mature code applicants for nursing/midwifery has operated over 10 years. Nursing/Midwifery A Career for You(page 10) states that: "A mature code applicant who passes the (NCC) written assessment and interview is placed on the list for each mature course code for which she has applied. The overall score in the NCC written assessment determines an applicant's position on the order of merit list for each mature course code for which she applied."

The NCC and the Public Appointments Service (PAS) periodically review and evaluate all processes in order to satisfy themselves that they are in line with best practice for recruitment and selection. The NCC and the PAS undertook an evaluation of the selection process in Autumn 2009. The evaluation report included a review of the interview process. One of its conclusions, based on best practice, recommended that a 2:1 ratio of applicants to places should be invited to interview.

On the basis of this review, it was decided by the NCC that, in the interests of fairness to applicants and to relieve them of the stress and cost of attendance for interview, only those applicants who had achieved a score likely to qualify them for an offer of a place in nursing/midwifery based on the order of merit list should be invited to interview. In this year's competition, in line with best practice and evidence, the top successful candidates who achieved the highest scores at written assessment test were invited to interview.

The 2010 competition saw an unprecedented number of applications for mature code nursing/midwifery. There were 2224 applications in total, the highest number since the competition began. Of the 1040 applicants who passed the written assessment, 659 were invited to interview for approximately 336 places. This was in line with best practice in recruitment and selection processes.

There are a maximum of 336 places available in any year for mature code applicants in the mature competition for Nursing/Midwifery, which has an overall quota of 1570 places nationally. In the unlikely event that the 336 places are not allocated to mature code candidates, the NCC will revert to the list of remaining candidates who have passed the written assessment test and may invite a number for interview in order of merit.

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