Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

40. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that returning nurses that have trained elsewhere must complete an adaption course to become fully registered to work here but that the number of hospitals offering the course has reduced leading to some nurses having to pay approximately €2,800 to do it privately; the way in which this impacts on their job choices to work in the private sector to try to recoup this expense; the implications for staffing of public hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48175/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) has advised that all applications for registration on a division or divisions of the register of nurses and midwives are individually assessed. If the applicant has obtained his or her nurse or midwife qualification in an EU/EEA country, they are entitled to have their qualifications assessed pursuant to the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC. If their qualifications fall under this Directive, they are entitled to have qualifications automatically recognised.

With regard to other applicants, if the theoretical or clinical components of their training programme show deficits not compensated for by professional experience, then the applicant will have to successfully complete an adaptation and assessment period of 6-12 weeks or an aptitude test. There is no aptitude test available for midwifery, psychiatry, children’s and intellectual disability nursing.

Where the NMBI determines that a period of adaptation is required, and the nurse has a conditional offer of employment in the Irish health service, they will then undertake adaptation and assessment at a hospital, in order to register and take up the post - 7 such programmes have been run with respect to nursing homes since July 2016 and a further 2 are scheduled for April & June 2018. The Dublin Academic Teaching Hospitals (DATHs) have been recruiting and providing clinical adaptation and assessment on an ongoing basis since 2015.

At present 21 public sector acute hospitals are listed on the NMBI website as approved to provide periods of adaptation and assessment to candidate nurses seeking registration on the general division of the nurses register held by the NMBI. These hospitals provide adaptation and assessment to candidate nurses - many of these hospitals and all DATHs have provided these programmes in 2017. The provision of such programmes is driven by service need and availability of appropriate candidates – it is not provided routinely as with other academic programmes.

The Royal College of Surgeons Ireland offer a 2 day assessment process for registration and all details are on their website which provides information on this aptitude test. The fee is €2,800. It is understood that payment of fees for candidates who have undertaken the test has been predominantly by their employer. The HSE pays this fee for candidates who have been given a provisional offer of employment. The aptitude test that is currently open will be held on 28 January 2018, a further five tests have been held in the interim. Since the two day assessment process commenced less than two years ago, the RCSI have had 1,700 applicants and have been able to respond in a positive and proactive way to the needs of the Irish health service and the applicants concerned.

To attend either the clinical adaptation and assessment programme or the aptitude test, candidates should ensure to allow sufficient time to obtain immigration authorisations.