Cynthia Busuttil
Students rejected despite shortage
'Students can help the already-strained nursing complement'
Scores of prospective nursing students will be turned away this year despite a shortage of trained professionals.
In all, 379 students applied for a BSc (Hons) in nursing and a diploma in health science but only 140 will be accepted. A University spokesman said there were no plans to extend the number of those who could be accepted in the course.
"The number of 140 students for the two courses was set after several meetings between the University and the Health Division," the spokesman said.
Just two months ago, the health authorities launched a campaign to entice more people to take up a career in nursing. The campaign worked, with the number of potential students' applications for the two courses more than doubling from 151 last year, with 91 students being accepted.
The Malta Union of Nurses and Midwives has condemned the decision not to open the course for more students and president Paul Pace said: "We expected all those who applied and have the necessary qualifications to be accepted".
He said that at the moment the health services required about 1,400 nurses, with Mater Dei Hospital alone in desperate need of 700.
"Not all the students finish their course and we lose between 60 and 70 every year to retirement, emigration and other reasons. By the time this group graduates, we will need even more nurses," he said.
Mr Pace said he was astounded to learn that students would be turned away following July's campaign.
He said the University had to take a good look at its resources and increase them in order to be able to accept each and every student who had the necessary qualifications.
"We need nurses but we are turning away students," he said.
Just before last year's general election the maximum number of students who could be accepted in the two courses was increased from 100 to 140. But Mr Pace said this was still not enough.
On the other hand, the health authorities said the 140 maximum was set to ensure all students would be able to complete the number of requisite practice hours in each area.
"The quality and quantity of the number of hours that every nursing student should complete throughout a nursing programme is stipulated by EU directives.
The University seeks to comply with this in an attempt to ensure all those graduating from Malta are recognised as nurses and eligible for employment in all EU member states and beyond," a Health Parliamentary Secretariat spokesman said.
Mr Pace, however, argued it was possible to accept more students and give them the necessary training, adding they could be of help to the already-strained nursing complement.
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David Grima
Sep 7th 2009, 12:59
I am not applying for the nursing course but I still feel pretty sad for those students who felt confident enough, when they applied, that they will be accepted. especially those students who repeated second year in order to achieve the required grades.
Sincerely I think that some people in high places are scared that future qualified nurses will take their places due to the fact that they will be better then them and therefore see it fitt to reject students in order to keep their salary coming. I really would like to know what will happend to those students who had the nursing course to their likings and applied only for it...
Will the same people who rejected them be responsible for these students who practically will lose 1 whole year of their lives??...either by working until they apply for the next year or by studying...AGAIN to get better grades and more good looking certificates to satisfy the university board...
R Abela
Sep 4th 2009, 08:39
This is what is termed GONZIPNLANING.
Ray Buhagiar
Sep 4th 2009, 08:01
@ Shawn
Get back to your books and get better grades. You will not regret it in the future.
Whitney Buhagiar
Sep 3rd 2009, 23:28
on what will the choice of students being accepted into Bsc Nursing be based on please ??
K.Tanti
Sep 3rd 2009, 20:16
@ Paul Pace From the 379 applicants, how many of them are already nurses and applied for the distance learning degree course?
C.Farrugia
Sep 3rd 2009, 20:05
Due to the need for nurses, why doesn't the government employ the nursing students part-time? A great number of the students, after their 1st year, really get used to the work done in the wards. At least they can ease time consuming work like parameters etc...obviously excluding treatment because they're not qualified. Basically they might do the same work they do during their placements. IHC might help in choosing the students according to their practice grades in their placements.
Sav Mar
Sep 3rd 2009, 18:49
@ Ray Buhagiar Can you please tell me what i am going to do now, cause i have applied for nursing and dont have grades for the other courses?
Adrian Camenzuli
Sep 3rd 2009, 18:47
I THINK THE IDEAL THING IS THAT GONZI SELLS MALTA. WE ARE HEADING INTO A CONCRETE WALL.
ELAINE HOLLYOAK
Sep 3rd 2009, 16:58
HOW CAN THIS COURSE BE WITH NUMERUS CLAUSUS WHEN WE ALL KNOW HOW MANY NURSES ARE NEEDED??
WHY ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO GO FOR NURSING THEN TURN THEM AWAY??
THIS IS WHY WE ARE ALWAYS SHORT OF NURSES!!
Paul Camilleri
Sep 3rd 2009, 16:56
As an applicant, its devastating to hear such news. I fear that I'll end up repeating a year in 6th form to get better grades or else choose another career. Ugh!
Ray Buhagiar
Sep 3rd 2009, 16:54
Are there enough nurse educators or should we sacrifice quality for quantity?
140 is a good number.
M.Bezzina
Sep 3rd 2009, 16:11
Keith Aquilina
There is something fishy here. MUMN president is quoting saying that there is a shortage of nurses, especially at Mater Dei. So how come nurses which have just graduated did not all have the possibility to be stationed at Mater Dei ?
Because at Policlinics, Mount Carmel, and St.Vincent de Paule you also have shortage of Nurses and nurses do retire as well from every sector so you cannot only fill in Mater dei and leave the others hanging!!Altough one's upon a time there was a minister who said that there is enough nurses or even more than enough!!
Now the ex:minister have left his things behind to his successor who cannot do miracles obo him!!
David Zammit
Sep 3rd 2009, 15:35
Same is happening at MCAST - call for applications have been made a few weeks ago but limited numbers have been accepted in several courses. In one of the courses, only 3 new applicants were accepted due to progression of students from previous course ! Why do a call for applications in the first place when such limited vacancies exist? This is clearly misleading the unfortunate students who had the required grades and applied . Had correct information been made available beforehand , they could have considered alternative courses.
Mario Cachia
Sep 3rd 2009, 15:22
Will the Minister of Health do something about it??? What nonesense is this. If there were adverts all over the place, even on a popular local radio station....
Can authorities in this country be more ridiculous?
I will be waiting for something to be done about this... nurses lack everywhere, and now that the government got a response to the bombardments of ads he made it is only right to accept all the students with necessary qualifications
beverly ciantar
Sep 3rd 2009, 13:25
why limit the number of entries for nursing courses when we all know we are in such need of nurses.
Carmel Saliba
Sep 3rd 2009, 12:55
This is the way how the planners in the Health Sector is run.
We need nurses and then close the door to this needed profession. The health authorities said 'the 140 maximum was set to ensure all students would be able to complete the number of requisite practice hours in each area'. I ask - Who will monitor the new course from among the care workers leading for a Diploma in Nursing? Why was the promotion to recruit more nurses?
We need doctors and then enforce hard requisites to begin the course.
WHY?
Joseph Debono
Sep 3rd 2009, 12:44
This is really ridiculous. First we make a campaign to attract students to become nurses and then we slam the door right in their face. I just can't understand. Something should be done as we are short of nursing staff.
C.Caruana
Sep 3rd 2009, 12:16
This is utter nonsense!
Adrian Cachia
Sep 3rd 2009, 11:58
IT students at MCAST are next......seeing that Smart City is on the SLOW GO despite whatever they are saying!!
Keith Aquilina
Sep 3rd 2009, 11:36
There is something fishy here. MUMN president is quoting saying that there is a shortage of nurses, especially at Mater Dei. So how come nurses which have just graduated did not all have the possibility to be stationed at Mater Dei ?
r cutajar
Sep 3rd 2009, 11:18
FACTS
Cases of accute nurses shortages are the order of the day at Zammit Clapp Hospital and years has been likewise .To make matters worse nurses are overburdened by paperwork instead of concentrating on bedside nursing .
M.Bezzina
Sep 3rd 2009, 11:09
Imbaghad tigi xi darba jkollok xi 8 operazzjoniet u bi 3 nurses trid taghmel il mirakli!!Ghax ix xol irid isir ux!!Msiken dawk in nurses 12 il siegha xol fuq 3 ijiem x' jifdal minnek!!Ghax kif titlob l ghajnuna it twegiba mand il manager tkun ''Heqq jien in nurses ma nfaqqasomx ta!!''
Veru ghandek ragun ma tfaqqasomx !!Imma jien par idejn ghandi u ma nistax nahdem ghall 3 min nies li ma jfaqqsux ruhom!!
M Gauci
Sep 3rd 2009, 10:39
Why should we substitute quantity for quality??
Gerard Cassar
Sep 3rd 2009, 10:07
There is therefore Numerus Clausis (am I right?) for nurses that are needed in the health sector. And then we boast that the University is open for whoever wants to apply provided he/she has the necessary qualifications.
Thisis another U turn of the present administration.
Galea. L
Sep 3rd 2009, 09:57
Who decides such things when we are in dire need for such graduates?
Why is there this NUMERUS CLAUSUS?
There are no limits on other courses so why is there a limit of these?
No wonder the country is in such dire straits in all sectors including the Government.