Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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1059. To ask the Minister for Health the number of nurses from overseas who have applied to complete the aptitude tests within the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland for each of the years 2017 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in order to obtain nursing registration; their nationalities; the wait time to complete in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54742/22]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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1060. To ask the Minister for Health the pass rate for overseas nurses of the aptitude tests within the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland for each the years 2017 to 2021 and to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54743/22]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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1061. To ask the Minister for Health the number of modules which must be repeated if an overseas nurse fails an individual module of the aptitude test with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland; the waiting time for a repeat test; the cost to the nurse; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54744/22]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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1062. To ask the Minister for Health if the aptitude test for overseas nurses in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland is to the best international practice standards, in light of the critical shortage of nurses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54745/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1059 to 1062, inclusive, together.

As they Deputy will be aware, all nurses and midwives who practise in Ireland must be registered on the Register of Nurses and Midwives which is maintained by the Regulator, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). The NMBI has a number of statutory obligations to protect the public in its dealings with nurses and midwives and to protect the integrity of the practice of the professions of nursing and midwifery. Maintaining a high level of scrutiny in the assessment of applications is an essential element of this protection.

Along with the professions of midwife, doctor, pharmacist and dentist, Registered General Nurse (RGN) is one of the five health professions falling within the scope of the EU’s automatic recognition system. The relevant legislation obliges member states to comply with minimum training standards - S.I. No. 8/2017 - European Union (Recognition of Professional Qualifications) Regulations 2017 refers. In Ireland, the NMBI has the duty to ensure compliance. It achieves this by setting down educational standards in legislation (NMBI Rules). Similarly to Student Nurses and Midwives, overseas applicants must meet the minimum training standards as a precondition to achieving registration with NMBI.

Nurses and midwives who qualified outside Ireland and who are seeking registration with the NMBI are required firstly to complete a recognition of qualifications process. This involves the comparison, by the NMBI, of their qualifications with the Irish education standards and requirements. The outcome of this process may be a decision by the NMBI ( a Decision Letter) to register the applicant; or to refuse such registration; or, as a pre-requisite to registration, to require the applicant to successfully complete a compensation measure, either an NMBI approved aptitude test or a period of adaptation and assessment in a hospital setting. Following receipt of their Decision Letter from the NMBI advising that a compensation measure must be successfully completed as a pre-requisite to registration, an applicant can consider applying for an aptitude test. Upon satisfactory receipt of an application to sit the aptitude test, an invitation is sent within one day.

The RCSI Aptitude Test referenced by the Deputy comprises two parts. Part 1 is the theory test which must be successfully completed before Part 2 can be attempted. Part 2 is the practical test or OSCE (objective structured clinical examination). OSCE is acknowledged internationally as an assessment methodology that enables the applicant to demonstrate competence in a simulated practice setting, known as a station. Assessment of competence for practice through a range of OSCEs includes fourteen different stations that are set up as they would be in a clinical setting. The test, in its entirety, examines the applicant’s potential suitability for registration with the NMBI. Two attempts are allowed for each of the theory and practical parts of the test. If an applicant fails the theory test at the first attempt, the test must be repeated in full. If an applicant fails the practical test at the first attempt, only the station or stations failed need to be repeated.

The RCSI has informed my Department that there is no significant waiting time to repeat the test. The applicant should allow sufficient time to prepare for the second and final attempt and a minimum of two weeks is strongly recommended by the RCSI. An applicant may avail of a longer period for preparation if they wish. There is no cost to the applicant for a second attempt at either the theory or practical part of the test.

Overall, 9,609 applicants have undertaken the RCSI Aptitude Test within the last seven years (December 2015 to October 2022). These applicants have come from 48 countries namely : Australia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Brazil; Bulgaria; Cameroon; Canada; Chile; China; Croatia; Czech Rep; Egypt; Eswatini; Ghana; Hungary; India; Iran; Israel; Jordan; Kenya; Lesotho; Malawi; Malaysia; Mauritius; Myanmar; Namibia; Nepal; New Zealand; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Pakistan; Philippines; Poland; Romania; Russia; Singapore; Slovenia; South Africa; Sri Lanka; St Kitts and Nevis; St Vincent and Grenadines; Taiwan; The Gambia; Trinidad & Tobago; UAE; Uganda; USA; Zimbabwe.

The highest number of applicants are from India, followed by the Philippines and the African countries. There are currently 38 test dates available for 2023 which will allow up to 2,736 applicants to sit the test. To date, the number of available places each year has exceeded the number of applicants, so capacity issues have not arisen.

In relation to the pass rate over the past seven years, an average of 72% of applicants passed the practical part of the test at the first attempt. On the second attempt, an average of 85% of the applicants passed.

Regarding the further detailed breakdown requested by the Deputy, I have asked my Department to engage with the NMBI and the RCSI with a view to providing whatever further relevant information that may be available.