Government tightens nurses entry requirements

By Farayi Machamire

The health and Child Care ministry has set new requirements for citizens looking to take up a general nurse training course from May 2019.

In the new requirements widely circulated to government hospital matrons and tutors, Health and Child care permanent secretary Gerald Gwinji said prospective nurses must have passed English Language, Mathematics, a Science subject and two other subjects in a single sitting.

In the past, students with 5 Ordinary Levels obtained in two sittings were eligible.

The government also restricted the course to those between the ages of 18 and 30.

“Applicants for the above course should be between the ages of 18 and 30 years. Applicants must have 5 ‘O’ Level passes in one sitting with Grade C or better,” Gwinji wrote.

Nursing is a very difficult and demanding career choice, punctuated with long hours, weekend and holiday work, and most importantly, the need to provide hands-on care to people at their most vulnerable times in life — often when they are injured, ill, in pain or dying. DailyNews