Q WHAT is the situation as regards nursing this year? I'm interested in general nurse training and I'd like to know which hospitals are linked to colleges and which are not?

Galway student

A AS of now all general nurse training hospitals are linked into college based diploma/degree courses. Up to now there were five general hospitals which were not in the college associated schemes the Mater in Dublin James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin, Our Lady of Lourdes in Droghedea, Bon Secours Hospital and University College Hospital, both in Cork.

All of these as well as the other 12 previously associated general hospitals are now in the college diploma scheme and applications must be made through the Nursing Applications Centre, PO.Box 5711, Dublin 2 (tel 01-6622127). The closing date is 5pm on Friday, May 16th a very late closing date indeed considering students will be sitting their first Leaving Cert paper on June 11th and have enough on their plates by then.

Each applicant must be not less than 17 years of age on June 1st. Entry requirements are Irish, English, maths, one other language, one laboratory science subject add one other subject (home economics general is still excluded). Two higher Cs and four ordinary/higher Ds are the minimum grades required.

These subject requirements came about when the first college course started and it happened to be affiliated to an NUI college. Therefore it was accidental that this group of subjects came into the picture for nursing in the first place and it's high time to get rid of such a restrictive group of subjects. Isn't it rather odd that colleges which have nothing to do with NUI (such as DCU, UL, TCD and Dundalk, Waterford and Letterkenny RTCs) are now requiring these same subjects for entry to their colleges for nursing when they do not require them for any other course.

The main problem here is the third language. Many guidance counsellors have made great efforts over the past years to gel this situation sorted out for their students and it's very disappointing that there is not a more satisfactory outcome for applicants in 1997.

The Price Waterhouse Report was expected in January and there were great hopes that the method and requirements for 1997 entry would be sorted. Let us hope that for 1998 the entry requirement situation will be resolved but I'm afraid for you the situation is unchanged for 1997.

A new element to the selection process this year is the introduction of an assessment test which means that the preliminary interview will be dropped. It is hoped to have this test at the end of June and then to do interviews as in previous second rounds. Anybody who has the required Leaving Cert subjects and grades will be eligible and the offer process will start as soon as the Leaving Cert results are published.

If a candidate has all the required subjects and grades from the one year there will be a 10 per cent bonus available but it will still be possible to combine subject requirements and grades from two years if necessary. At the moment, most of the nursing courses are in the NAC including mental handicap, psychiatric and general nursing and we hope that all of them will be in for 1998.

There is no under graduate course for paediatric nurse training as it has now become a postgraduate course of 18 months duration. (See Anne Byrne's report on nursing on page 15)

Q I'D like to know if I can get my marks for my portfolio and interview for a design courses for which I have applied in DIT Mountjoy Square and Dun Laoghaire, College of Art & Design. I'd like to know before the closing date for change of mind applications.

Wicklow student

A I CAN understand why you want to get your ratings for these courses in time foil the change of mind closing date of July 1st.

The maximum score for the portfolio assessment plus the interview combined is 600 marks and a further maximum of 600 is awarded for the six best subjects in the exam.

Your overall points score will be calculated by adding together the exam points score (in your ease the Leaving Cert) and your assessment score to calculate our overall points score.

As an individual candidate you will be able to get your scores from the DIT Admissions Office at 30 Pembroke Street, Dublin 2 phone (01)402 3000 by quoting your CAO number. In the DIT system, if you do not reach the required standard in the portfolio assessment (240 marks) you will not be called for interview and will not be. considered further for the course. The remaining 360 marks go for the interview. You will receive a letter informing you of this around the middle of May and this will give you plenty of time to change your mind if you wish.

The same scoring system is used by Dun Laoghaire College of Art & Design address Carriglea Park, Kill Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin phone (01)280 1138. However, the procedure is slightly different. Interviews will be finished by the end of May and letters will then be sent to applicants informing them if they have passed this stage of the process. It should be noted that this letter is not an offer of a place but a letter informing applicants that they are through to the next stage.

The college does not give applicants their score on the interview and portfolio assessment, so you do not know your precise mark for these. This is also the case with other colleges so the DIT system is preferable because you know precisely where you are in the ratings.

When the Leaving Cert results come out in mid-August, they are then added to this assessment score in the normal way and those with the highest combined score will be offered places.

So before the July 1st closing date, you will know precisely where you stand for DIT courses and if you are in the running for the Dun Laoghaire courses. You then have a choice of options you can delete them, you can move them up or down in your preference list and/or insert other new courses to replace them.

You should be very careful that you have as much information as possible, before making changes and so avoid making a foolish mistake at this stage of the year. It would be wise to check it out with your guidance counsellor and all teacher before changing your mind. Remember, you cannot introduce other restricted courses for the first time if you have not already included them on your list before the closing date of February 1st last.