People aged over 23 should consider nursing as a profession or a change of career, the Nursing Careers Centre (NCC) has said.
Minimum quotas have been set aside this year for mature applicants: 15 per cent for general nursing, 45 per cent for psychiatric nursing and 35 per cent for mental handicap nursing, the NCC announced at the start of its 2001 recruitment campaign for student nurses yesterday.
This year, nursing applications will be made through the Central Applications Office (CAO) and will be based solely on a school-leaver's Leaving Certificate results. Nursing applicants previously went through an interview and assessment.
People over 23 who are applying as mature students may be exempted from the educational requirements. Instead, they will sit an assessment test and interview.
Ms Sheila O'Malley, president of An Bord Altranais, which manages the NCC, said people could apply for diploma programmes in general, psychiatric and mental-handicap nursing.
Last year, over 1,500 applicants were placed on the three nursing programmes. Full details of entry are available from the CAO at telephone 091-509800 or its website, www.cao.ie