As part of the Agreement providing for application of the Qualification Allowance to Nurses it was agreed that in cases where Course Providers had not secured Category 2 Approval the nurse could apply to an Bord Altranais to examine the course s/he had completed and ratify that course as 'Equivalent' to Category 2 if it met the relevant criteria.
This system worked very well until circe 2005 when the Board refused to consider any applications related to Irish based Courses and insisted that the University must apply for accreditation in advance.
In 2010 the PNA processed a test case to the Labour Court arguing that employers were responsible for ensuring the nurse's qualifications were evaluated and the Qualification Allowance applied. The Court recommended in our favour.
The Employers then reverted to An Bord Altranais and requested that they further consider the matter The Bord at their November meeting agreed to consider all outstanding courses for which nurses want accreditation up to the end of 2011. The Bord have set out the specifications required.
Any nurse who is considering a course in future should raise the issue of Category 2 Approval before paying Fees. The Bord have already advised the Universities/Institutes/Colleges of the requirements. Please click on this link for information from An Bord.
Yours sincerely
Des Kavanagh
General Secretary
