MUMN action in solidarity with students not accepted for university course
Industrial action is being taken by the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses in solidarity with more than 100 young people who obtained the necessary qualifications to embark on a nursing course but were not accepted.
The MUMN said that although the Health Ministry said there were more than 540 vacancies in the health sector, the government was still excluding young people from taking this course. Only 44 had graduated in nursing this year.
It said it would never accept a situation where, in spite of the shortage, the government was more interested in protecting the university’s autonomy than the country’s real needs.
The union appealed to the young people who had not been accepted to contact it on e-mail: mumn@maltanet.net as a meeting was to be organised to decide what steps could be taken.
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a. spiteri
Sep 11th 2010, 12:14
Jien studenta li applikajt ghal dan l kors u ma gejtx accetata. nitlob lil publiku jinsa l unions u l politika, u jiftakar fl istudenti li xtaqu jistudjaw. naf nies li applikaw, u dahlu.. 1) b hafna inqas certifikati 2) b interess fil paga, mhux fix xoghol!!
din is sena hargu 44, ha naraw erba snin ohra kemm sa johorgu!
l gvern dahhal xi 200 mill Pakistan ghax jaqbilu. l istudenti irid itihom l flus fl ismart card, l istipendju u imbad l paga. l barranin l paga biss ha itihom.. 200 malti jiswew hafna. ara jigix ihabbat l bieb ghal vot issa.. !!
M.Bezzina
Sep 5th 2010, 22:56
Apparti min hekk din nara tac cajt jien...mela se nimpjegaw ma nafx kemm nurses mill Pakistan (xi 200??minix cert) u l maltin jibqaw barra!!
Dik serjeta!!!Imbghad tara kummneti vojta kontra l union minn nies li qas biss jafu l fatti kif inhuma!!Basta niktbu!!!
C.Spiteri
Sep 5th 2010, 22:14
MUMN is (usual) being very skimpy with the truth. This year's graduates entered University 4 years ago, when all the students that had the neccessary qualifications were accepted. At the moment (and this is a very good thing), a larger number of young persons are interested in nursing course. As these students have to interact (read test and practice on) patients, there is a limit to how many students can be accepted within the course (basically something that is called student/patient ratio - the same applies for medical students).
Joseph Borg
Sep 6th 2010, 09:31
Have you considered that maybe 4 yrs ago the number of applicants was maybe less?
Have you considered that during the course, students fail from exams or quit for various reasons?
So using your same thoughts, it is better to accept 150 students an have 70 of them graduating rather than having 100 students and 40 graduating...isn't it?
As regards the patient nurse ratio sincerely doesn't make sense at all. In the past there used to be a CNP course which was a course organized by the Dept of Health and usually the numbers there were quite big so the patient ratio thing you are speaking about doesn't make sense at all!
And believe me, the maltese ppl are very helpful and during my 4 yr nursing course and in these last 13yrs I ve been working as a qualified nurse, I almost never had any patients complaining about students around (unless it is a sensitive case) anzi most of the patients are very helpful and willing to help especially since they know by their own experience that there is shortage of nurses.
Where there is a will there is a way !
M Micallef
Sep 5th 2010, 21:44
I would like to ask if anyone of you commenting know what the course entails? And who is going to mentor all the students enrolled? Is there a place for all these students to practice on the wards? Do you prefer quantity to quality?
Joseph Borg
Sep 6th 2010, 09:20
Be sure that a place where to practice there is...nowadays even Saint James Hospital has an agreement with IHC to have students mentored there.So having Mater Dei, Karin Grech, Mount Carmel, SVPR, Health Centers (7 in all), Community Nursing, Elderly Homes, Boffa Hospital, Zammit Clapp Hospital and Saint James Hospital, I am 100% certain that if a good plan is followed ALL the students will be able to have their practice without bothering anyone.
Secondly as regarding mentorship, maybe you are not informed, every year a number of nurses voluntarily undergoes mentorship courses and now all the students are allocated every semester with one of these mentor nurses and they are individually monitored and supported. Nowadays there are already many mentors all around our hospitals and as time goes by this number is on the increase.
As regarding lectures I dont think it make a difference if there are 50,100,200 students in a hall, it is still the same lecture which is going to be delivered.
So dont make it look like something impossible to justify mismanagement!
Christopher Cutajar
Sep 5th 2010, 20:24
Keep it up MUMN. I would have completely adhered to the union's directives, but unfortunately am abroad at the moment. The biggest mistake was that the government did not invest in more lecturers and student nurses during the very long construction phase to complete Mater Dei. Regards, Christopher Cutajar Tel Aviv, Israel
Joseph Borg
Sep 5th 2010, 20:07
Bir rispett kollu ta..jiena ma nafx kif xi whud tikkumentaw! ghax hargu dirretiva l MUMN kiltulhom wicchom. Jiena mistoqsija wahda ghandi....xtipreferu, tipostponu out-patients test bi ftit jiem biex forsi il Gvern u l univerista jiddeciedu li jaghmlu xi haga ghal gid tal pajjiz? jew li allahares qatt tkunu rikoverati go sptar u jkun hemm 2 nurses ma 20 pazjent....jew forsi taghmel operazzjoni u ma jkollokx min itik il kura mehtiega kif jixtieq minhabba li l istaff kollu huwa burned out! Ma nafx ghala dan l ghageb kollu...kull ma tridu taghmlu iccemplu u jekk tmexxielkhom l appuntament ma toqghodx sajjem! daqshekk big deal? Testijiet ta emergenza xorta ha jibqaw mexjin normali,,,,testijiet li jittiehdu fuq bazi ta out patient li ha jieqfu. Xtipretendu li union qeghda hemm biss biex inhalsu il mizata...mhux ovvja li trid tara l interess ta lil min tirraprezenta. At the end of the day ha ngawdu minnu jiena u inti! Kunu ftit oggettivi fil kumenti taghkom mhux tmaqdru biss. U just for the info iva, l istudenti tan nursing huma diga salvagwardjati mil union u jistaw jidhlu membri, wara kollox ghada pit ghada ha jkunu in nurses tal futur. Prosit MUMN
G. Saliba
Sep 5th 2010, 18:01
MUMN has all the right to order directives against a government who has repeatedly ignored the need of increasing the intake or nursing students. We already have the need of nearly 600 nurses without counting the number of nurses due to retire this and in the following years. It is of no excuse saying that the university is autonomous. it is paid from us taxpayers and it should see that the nations needs are met. Shame on you all and well done MUMN.
Joe Demanuele
Sep 5th 2010, 16:39
Fasting for so long c. camilleri? Just because they don;t eat anything from midnight before? Tell it to the marines c camilleri.
S. Fenech
Sep 5th 2010, 17:53
just for your information, people who are asked to fast for so long can be diabetics, who can have other side effects in such cases. Who are you to compare people in need of medical tests to marines who are normally very healthy. Before putting such comments may I ask you to be considerate and think twice who are these people that are being affected. I never expected such actions from a Union who in the past had been advertising the Nursing Career as a vocational career where one can help the others. Is this the way the MUMN intends to help the people in need.
Tony Bartolo
Sep 5th 2010, 18:10
S. Fenech is this the way for the Government to treat the nursing profession as a vocational career by treating them as dirt?
R Axisa
Sep 5th 2010, 16:22
mela allura mhux veru li l-opportunitajiet qeghdin hemm ghal kulhadd! Qeghdin sew, iggib il-kwalifiki mehtiega u ma jaccettawkx biex tkompli tistudja - f'settur li tant hawn nuqqas tieghu! Kemm qeghdin sew min jaf jarana!
Jeremy Lanfranco
Sep 5th 2010, 16:15
MUMN have all the right to issue directives to workers who are nurses. I presume that these 100 prospective students are not even nurses yet...let alone paying members of the MUMN so why not try and secure a better deal with the authorities to enroll these prospective students instead of resorting to directives?
Carmel Saliba
Sep 5th 2010, 16:08
The action to be taken by the MUMN is more than needed. The real situation is that 540 vacancies availed today will not be filled in 10 years time by the planned system of recruiting nursing students.
Why this year graduated ONLY 44 nurses? Who will give us a reply?
When a group of students following a University course there is no guarantee that ALL of them graduate because they can't cope in the study in their related chosen course. Nursing students are different from other students. They have to be able to work in situations where they have to face the sick people, be able to be present where there is blood, vomiting and other difficult situations.
I appeal to the Government and the University to solve this needed situation. At least in five years time I, as a nurse before retiring, will be informed that the situation is solved.
Charles Zammit
Sep 5th 2010, 16:04
Enough is enough. Does the executive of this union want to manage the health sector from its offices?
Get them nurses on their proper job not on office work normally assigned to lower grade staff.
Michael Gatt
Sep 5th 2010, 18:14
Charles Zammit nurses should not be doing office work but working with patients. I think that there are more security guards than nurses.
M.Aquilina
Sep 5th 2010, 16:00
They better see whey there was only a designated amount of posts for Mater Dei, instead of sending newly qualified in hospitals were only relievers are needed and no fixed staff. they studied for four years to be sent were they are not that much needed. Pity
c. camilleri
Sep 5th 2010, 15:33
And no consideration has been given to all those persons who have been fasting for so long to have their blood taken. Shame. One expects that this stoppage will effect their pay packet.
T Camilleri
Sep 5th 2010, 16:36
c. camilleri one expects that action is taken against the Government and the university for perpetuating this disastrous situation where we do not have enough nurses and qualified persons are not being allowed to attend for the nurses course. This is a national disgrace and both the Government and the University which is paid through our taxes should be brought to account for their incompetence. Remember that the University is given funding through OUR TAXES and must be held accountable. Who do these bigheads think they are? If need be stop the university funding and their salaries because they must put our interests first because they are being paid by US.