Record intake of aspiring nurses

The GHA School of Health Studies this week interviewed candidates for its fourth intake of the adult nursing course.
Offers have been made to 20 students for the course organised in conjunction with Kingston University and St George’s University of London.
According to the Gibraltar Government this is the highest ever number of students to receive offers. Each student will receive a £650 tax-free bursary.
“I am incredibly content with the success of the degree course in nursing and with the tremendous response from Gibraltarians who are keen on a vocational career in such a demanding discipline,” the Minister for Health, Neil Costa, said.
“Any person who may be interested should not hesitate to contact us. Our aim is to open the degree programme every year and to have locally trained nurses to the highest professional standard, with the external assessment of a UK university, so that we can continue to provide a healthcare that is empathetic, compassionate and highly competent.”
The three-year training programme will be fully delivered locally, with placements for students carried out throughout St Bernard’s Hospital, Elderly Residential Services, Primary Care Centre, St Bernadette’s, Ocean views and in the community.
“Nurses make a huge difference in the quality of service and they provide patients with kind and dignified care at all times,” said Principal Lecturer James Viñales.
“A good nurse has to demonstrate compassion, courage and have strong communication skills. The students we are looking for must possess all of those qualities and more. They must also be able to understand their own limitations and have accountability for their own actions. This is a vocational profession. You have to like it, because it is tough and requires extraordinary commitment. We provide all the course materials and books, together with easy access to the SHS and KUSGUL library, journals and databases.”
The course is open to locals over the age of 18 who have attained ‘A’ Level education or equivalent and a minimum of five GCSEs including maths, science and English language.
More interviews will be held this June for the September 2017 intake.