Pay and conditions forcing Irish nurses abroad, says union

IRISH nurses’ pay and conditions must be improved to help newly trained professionals to remain working in Ireland, a nurses’ union official said last night.

A surge in demand for places on nursing degrees saw the requirements for most of the around 40 such courses rise in the Central Applications Office (CAO) points published yesterday.

David Hughes, deputy general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation, said it was welcome news that nursing is being seen as a desirable course. But, he warned the profession must be made more attractive to stop thousands of Irish nurses leaving to work abroad.

More than 3,000 Irish nurses went to work overseas last year, but only 1,774 foreign nurses started work here. Around 1,700 annually qualify from nursing schools, which transferred as degree programmes to universities and institutes of technology two years ago.

“When nurses are being trained here, it should be to have them available to work in Ireland where possible. There is not much point in the State spending that much if they’re not going to stay,” Mr Hughes said.

“But the long hours and the low pay are continuing to turn them away from Ireland. Nurses are the only health service professionals whose basic week is 39 hours, rather than 35 hours for everybody else,” he said.

The National Parents Council (post-primary) helpline took dozens of calls from students disappointed by the points rise for nursing. The points required for around a dozen general, psychiatric or mental handicap nursing courses rose by at least 30 points and the points for three courses rose between 90 and 115 points.

Employers group IBEC said an increase in points required for more than half of science-related courses shows promotion of the sciences is working.

“While it means it is harder for some students to gain entry, it could also help reduce the high drop-out rate on science courses in recent years,” said IBEC assistant director of enterprise, Caroline Nash.

The Institution of Engineers of Ireland (IEI) welcomed the increased demand for most engineering-related courses. But Ita McGuigan, manager of IEI’s science, technology and engineering programme for schools, said there is still concern at high failure rates in Leaving Certificate maths and science subjects.

“The failure rates are totally at variance with the Government’s policy of creating a knowledge economy. Without a proficiency in maths, students are unlikely to be comfortable with the physical sciences, even if they study them to Leaving Certificate level,” Ms McGuigan said.