The reintroduction of the certificate in nursing would undermine efforts to upgrade the skills and knowledge of nurses to international standards, the University of Malta said yesterday.

Responding to the call made by the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses, the University said that the reason for a move away from a certificate programme was primarily due to a change in the role of the nurse on a local and international level.

It added that students needed to be educated at tertiary level and entrants to such programmes should have an adequate level of preparation.

Nurses acquiring a certificate alone would not be able to seek employment within other EU countries since only a diploma and degree in nursing were recognised by other EU countries.

"Over the past two years there has been a twofold increase in the number of entrants to the B.Sc. and diploma in nursing courses when compared with previous years," the university said.

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