Sponsorship for public health service employees to train as a nurse or midwife
Sponsorship is available for support staff in the Irish public health service who want to become nurses or midwives.
To be eligible for this scheme, you must be directly involved in delivering care to patients or clients in a nursing/midwifery context. For example, healthcare assistants and multi-task attendants are eligible for this scheme.
If successful, your basic salary is paid for the duration of your nursing or midwifery degree programme. You will be expected to return to your substantive post outside of the academic semesters for the duration of the programme.
Who can apply?
To apply for this sponsorship scheme you must:
- have at least 2 years relevant service in the Irish public health service on the 1st January of the year when you apply
- have a satisfactory service record
- be over 23 years of age on the 1st day of January of the year in which you apply for sponsorship
- have successfully passed a written assessment test administered by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI)
The sponsorship scheme is not open to public health service employees who:
- are currently undertaking a pre-registration nursing/midwifery degree
- have withdrawn from a pre-registration nursing/degree education programme within the 5 year period before the sponsorship application
- have deferred acceptance of a place on a pre-registration nursing or midwifery education programme from a previous year
- are not directly involved in the delivery of care to patients or clients
How to apply
Apply for a place on a programme
An eligible employee intending to apply for sponsorship must first of all make a formal application through the Central Applications Office (CAO) as a mature applicant.
Apply for a place on the pre-registration nursing or midwifery degree programme at one of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) involved in the delivery of the programme.
Being offered a place by the CAO does not guarantee an offer of sponsorship.
Related Topic
Pass the online assessment test
Register with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) for the online assessment test
Assessment test is expected to take place in April – check NMBI website for details -https://www.nmbi.ie/Careers-in-Nursing-Midwifery/How-to-apply/Mature-Applicants
Related topic
Apply for sponsorship
Please note the closing date for 2024 applications has been extended to Friday 14 June, you can submit the application form without the assessment test results.
It is important that you email your assessment test results to margaretm.hickey@hse.ie as soon as you receive them.
Sponsorships will be awarded following Round A offers from the CAO in early July - All documentation must be received prior to this date.
Contact the Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development Unit (Kilkenny) for sponsorship form - Email: nmpdu.kilkenny@hse.ie or Phone: 087 941 4297
Send your completed application form to:
Sponsorship Applications
Nursing & Midwifery Planning & Development Unit, HSE South-East
Office Complex
Kilcreene Hospital Campus
Kilkenny R95DK07 OR Email: nmpdu.kilkenny@hse.ie
After you complete the programme
You must register as a nurse or midwife with NMBI right after you complete the 4 year degree programme.
You will also be asked to sign a service agreement and commit to work as a registered nurse or midwife in the Irish health services for a period of 5 years after registration.
Contact
NMPDU South East
Phone: 056 778 5620
Related topic
HSE HR Circular 40/2020 -SPONSORSHIP FOR PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE EMPLOYEES WISHING TO TRAIN AS NURSES AND MIDWIVES (PDF, 463 KB, 9 pages)