Additional Campaign Information

HSE Sponsorship Student Midwife Recruitment Scheme 2015

National Recruitment Service

Email:

ADDITIONAL CAMPAIGN INFORMATION

HSE (2015 intake) SPONSORSHIP STUDENT MIDWIFE RECRUITMENT SCHEME

Higher Diploma in Midwifery

REF: NRS1335

N.B: THE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS 5.00pm FRIDAY 12th SEPTEMBER 2014

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in pursuing a career with the HSE.

This is some additional important information regarding this campaign. We strongly recommend that you read this document before applying for this campaign.

In this document we lay out the regulations by which the campaign will run. It outlines what we require from you; in what format we require it; what will happen after the interview process and how panels will be managed.

This is to ensure that we have the same information from all candidates and that candidates are treated in the same manner.

1. CAMPAIGN TIME SCALES

Closing dates for HSE (2015 intake) Sponsorship Student Midwife Recruitment Scheme, Higher Diploma in Midwiferyare as follows:

  • Closing date for receipt of completed application form is 5:00pm Friday12thSeptember 2014
  • Closing date for receipt of all supporting documentation*is5:00pmFriday 12th September 2014

This means applications received after 5:00pm Friday 12th September 2014and supporting documentation* received after5.00pm Friday 12th September 2014will NOT be accepted.

*Supporting Documentation

a)Verification of 6 months post registration experience as an RGN: within the past 5 years (by the closing date of application i.e.5:00pm 12th September 2014) working a minimum of 74 hours per month. Please ensure that your current or former employer signsandstampsyour ‘’Verification of Experience Form’’. This form verifies the post registration experience as a RGN claimed by you in your application. The verification form may be downloaded from can be returned by scanning and emailing it to arrive no later than 5.00pm Friday12th September 2014 OR by posting it to Emma Hanway, HSE, National Recruitment Service, 20-23 Merchant’s Quay, Dublin 8 to arrive no later than 5.00p.m. Friday 12th September 2014

NB:Please note candidates who are unable to have the verification form completedshould contact NRS immediately at 01 8817054 in order to discuss alternative methods of verification of the required post registration experience. Please note that the 6 months experience eligibility requirement must be verified and received by NRS by 5:00pm 12th September 2014. Therefore, please allow sufficient time for submission of the documents.

*Supporting Documentation

b)Award Parchment and transcripts for qualification in general nursing:Please forward by scanning and emailing thesedocuments by posting toEmma Hanway, HSE, National Recruitment Services, 20-23 Merchant’s Quay, Dublin 8, to arrive no later than 5.00p.m. Friday 12th September 2014

2. HOW TO APPLY?

You must use the “Application Form” particular to this post, either download it as a word document from type in your details which you can email to: print off and complete and return by post to: Emma Hanway, National Recruitment Services, Health Business Services, 20-23 Merchants Quay, Dublin 8 to arrive no later than 5.00p.m. Friday 12th September 2014

  • There is no need to sign e-mailed applications; we will request candidates to sign their application form if called for interview.
  • If you submit more than one application, we will accept the last one received prior to the closing date and time of 5.00p.m. Friday 12th September 2014
  • We will not be able to process applications by CV or any other method.
  • Applications stored on personal online storage sites, e.g.; SKYDRIVE, CLOUD, etc. will not be accepted.

NB:

a) Please ensure that you fully complete the qualifications and & eligibility criteria section & the knowledge & experience relevant to the role section on the “Application Form”. Please note that if you omit information in these sections pertinent to the eligibility criteria, you may be deemed ineligible and subsequently not called forward to interview.

b)This is a competency based application form. In order for your application to be considered, the supplementary questions section of the application form, i.e. the competency based questions, must be fully completed. If you do not complete all questions, we will be unable to process your application further.

c)As part of the application process, you are required to submit verification of your 6 month’s post registration experience as an RGN within the last 5 years i.e. from 12th September 2009 up to 12th September 2014. This verification forms part of your application and must be submitted to NRS to arrive no later than 5.00p.m. Friday 12th September 2014.

E-mail applications will receive an automated response within 24 hours, which will let you know that we have received your e-mail. This email serves as an acknowledgement only and is not an admission that we have received a completed application from you. Candidates please note the National Recruitment Service checks eligibility after the closing date and time for the receipt of applications. This is due to the high volume of applications. The National Recruitment Services can only accept applications received by the closing date and time i.e. 5:00pm Friday 12th September 2014.No applications received after this time & date will be accepted. This means that if your application is blank; you have sent the wrong version of your application form;have not completed all your competency questions; have no internet access etc. or have not attachedthe required supporting documentation, your application will not be processed further.

N.B:Please note that the National Recruitment Service will mainly contact you by mobile phone and/or email. Some communications may be sent by post. Therefore, it is most important that both your mobile telephone number and email address are included in your application as well as a postal address. It is your responsibility to ensure you have access to your mobile voice mails, text messages and emails. This means that if you choose to use your work mobile and email addresses you may miss communications that have a time deadline requirement while working away or on leave.

Who should apply?

Applicants who:

  • Are registered in the General Division of the Register of Nurses maintained by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland or entitled to be so registered
  • Have a minimum of 6 months post registration experience as an RGN, within the past 5 years (by the closing date of application, i.e.5:00pm 12th September 2014), working a minimum of 74 hours per month.

Who cannot apply?

Persons who are currently in receipt of a pension from any of the following superannuation schemes:

  • Local Government Superannuation Scheme (LGSS)
  • HSE Employee Superannuation Scheme
  • VoluntaryHospital's Superannuation Scheme (VHSS) (Officers or Non Officers Schemes)
  • Nominated Health Agencies Superannuation Scheme (NHASS)

(Please see “Appendix 2”for further information)

Applications received from candidates who fall under the above categories (see who cannot apply?”)will not be processed further in the selection process; this means that you will not be invited to interview.

3. SPONSORSHIP

Where are the sponsorship training places located and how many places are available?

CorkUniversityMaternityHospital/ UniversityCollegeCork (CUMH/UCC) / 32 Places
UniversityHospital Galway/National University of Ireland, Galway (UHG/NUIG) / 17 Places
Mid West Regional Maternity Hospital/University of Limerick (MWRH/UL) / 18 Places
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda/Dundalk Institute of Technology (OLOL/DKIT) / 15 Places

WillI get a sponsorship place through this campaign?

The allocation of places is based on:

  • Your placement, by order of merit, on the panel.
  • Your Maternity Site/HEI Choice
  • Availability of advertised sponsored places.

a)What happens at the end of my sponsorship?

  • Upon successful completion of the Course the Student will be eligible for registration as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.
  • The HSE Maternity Sites will offer sponsorship for the duration of the training programme. Successful candidates must commit to an 18 month programme, including college attendance and clinical placements in the sponsoring HSE maternity hospital and must commit to a 12 month, full-time service commitment to their HSE Maternity site, if available and offered by the sponsoring agency. N.B: However, please note that the availability of the service commitment is subject to employment controls.
  • The Student will give an undertakingto their sponsoring public health service agency that he/she will immediately, upon successful completion of the Course, fulfil the terms of their service commitmentof 12 months, if offered. However, the requirement to honour the service commitment may be waived by the sponsoring agency if it deems it is not in a position to thereafter recruit suitably qualified midwives. A sponsored employee who fails to honour their contractual undertaking to work as a nurse / midwife for their sponsoring agency (or agreed Irish alternative public health service agency) if offered the service commitment, shall be required to repay to that sponsoring agency their fees and in the case of fulltime courses, the value of the salary received by them during the theory element of the programme. Any repayment due will be adjusted on a pro rata basis for any period of service commitment honoured, if applicable.

4. WHAT IS THE SELECTION PROCESS?

  • Candidates must apply by completing the Application Form particular to this post, either download it as a word document from and type in your details then you can email to OR print it and fill in by hand and return by post to: Emma Hanway, National Recruitment Services, Health Business Services, 20-23 Merchants Quay, Dublin 8 to arrive no later than 5:00pm Friday 12th September 2014.
  • Candidates who apply must be suitably qualified (see above “. Who Should Apply?”). Candidates should pay due attention to the “Qualifications and Eligibility Criteria” section of their application form with regard to demonstrating their eligibility. Candidates who do not provide sufficient evidence of their eligibility will not be processed onto shortlisting (if applicable) and interview. Candidates are required to submit verification of their post registration experience as an RGN. If this verification is not received by 5:00pm Friday 12th September 2014 your application will not be processed further.
  • Candidates must complete the “Supplementary Questions Section”, i.e. “Competency Based Questions” of the application form. Those applicants who do not fully complete the “Competency Based Questions” section of the application form will not be processed onto short listing (if applicable) and interview.
  • A shortlisting exercise may apply based on the information you provide in your application form. This means that a shortlisting board comprised of Directors/ Assistant Directors of Midwifery will shortlist applicants based on information put forward in the application form. Please note the criteria for shortlisting is based on the requirements of the post as outlined in the eligibility criteria and skills, competencies and/or knowledge of the role, sections of this job specification. Therefore, it is very important that you think about your experience in light of those requirements. Failure to include information regarding these requirements may result in you not being called forward to the next stage of the selection process.

5. INTERVIEWS

It is anticipated that interviews will be held week commencing 13th October 2014 in Dublin.

Candidates residing in Ireland:

Interviews will be held centrally in Dublin.Candidates must be available to present for interview in Dublin in person. Interviews will be held on the dates specified by the National Recruitment Service and no subsequent or alternative interview dates will be offered to candidates.

Candidates residing outside of Ireland:

Skype interviews will be arranged for eligible candidates who at the time of the scheduled interview, reside outside of Ireland.Candidates will be requested to submit documentary evidence of their residency outside of Ireland. Please note that his facility will not be available to those who would ordinarily reside in Ireland but may be abroad on holidays or otherwise, at the time of the scheduled interviews. If deemed eligible and due an interview, the NRS will at that stage provide the relevant candidates with further information regarding the Skype facility.

Candidates who do not confirm their interview attendance prior to the date and time supplied in the invitation to interview will have their slot cancelled.

You will also be required to produce the following documentation upon arrival for your interview. Candidates who do not provide the required documentation listed below will not be afforded an interview.

  • Form of recent photographic identification i.e. drivers licence, passport or student/ HSE Work I.D. This identification will be checked and returned to you on the day of interview.
  • Garda Vetting Form - you will also be required to complete a Garda vetting form which will be enclosed in your invitation to interview letter. You will be required to fully complete this form and return it to the National Recruitment Services. All candidates must complete the Garda vetting form. This includes current HSE employees. We strongly recommend,to avoid delays on the day of interview, that you complete your form in advance of your interview as per the instructions enclosed with your form.

6. FORMATION OF PANEL

What is a panel?

  • A panel is a list of candidates successful at interview placed in order of merit. Candidates are awarded a mark during the interview process and the candidate who scores the highest mark is placed first on the panel.

a)Marking System

Candidates are given marks for skill areas during the interview. These elements are clearly indicated in the “Application Form” and “Competency Based Questions”.Where two or more candidates score the same marks and are interested in the same LHO Area and HEI a further ranking process will apply. A previously agreed skill area of the interview will be chosen to further rank successful candidates e.g. Karen and Mary are both successful at interview. They have both applied for LHO Longford/Westmeath and for St. Angela’s College Sligo. They both score 121 at interview, which would place them at joint number 3 on the panel for LHO Longford/Westmeath.If “Professional Knowledge” has been the secondary ranking chosen then the candidate who has scored highest in this area will receive the first job offer.Karen scored 19 in the “Professional Knowledge” element and Mary scored 18. Karen will be number 3 a. on the panel and Mary

will be number 3 b. on the panel. Where candidates have the same mark on the secondary ranking, an additional ranking will be applied and so forth.

b)Acceptance / Refusal of Sponsorship Places

The National Recruitment Service will require that you include in your application form your:

  • mobile telephone number
  • e-mail address

These are the communication channels the HSE will use to contact you. If you change your e-mail address or mobile telephone number it is your responsibility to inform the National Recruitment Service.

It is your responsibility to ensure you have access to your mobile voice mails, text messages and emails. This means that if you choose to use your work mobile and work email address you may miss communications that have a time deadline requirement while working away or on leave.

Should you be offered a sponsorship you will be offered only one HSE maternity site/HEI. If you decline this offer you will be removed from the panel.

Should you be offered, you will receive a text message from the HSE to the mobile number alerting you to a message sent to your email address that you have provided.

You will have one working week, i.e. 5 working days, in which to accept a sponsorship offer made in the first round of offers. Should there be subsequent rounds of offers the timeframes for accepting sponsorship offers may be shorter and will be clearly indicated at offer stage.

Appointment to the sponsorship programme will be subject to satisfactory references, Garda/Security clearance, medicals and other clearance requirements.

Please note that the option to defer sponsorship is not available.

c)Medical Clearances:

It is the successful candidates' responsibility to ensure that all relevant immunisations are up to date prior to the commencement of the programme. Individual HEIs will advise on specificrequirements on acceptance of the programme place. Please note that clinical placements may be delayedsignificantly if immunisations are not current.

d)Police Clearances from Abroad

It is the responsibility of the candidate to obtain police clearances for all jurisdictions in which they have lived and worked in excess of six months outside the Republic of Ireland. You will not be issued a sponsorship agreement or be able to take up your sponsorship place without all clearances on file. Therefore, we advise you to commence the processing of your police clearances from abroad immediately to ensure your availability to commence employment should you be deemed successful at interview and offered a sponsorship.

(Please see Appendix 3for further information)

Appendix 1

(i) EEA NATIONALS

EEA nationals who do not require work permits / visas / authorizations are nationals of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Romania.

(ii) NON-EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA APPLICANTS WHO RESIDE WITHIN THE STATE.

In order that we can process your application it will be necessary for you to submit the following scanned documentation:

  • A scanned copy of your passport showing your identification and immigration stamp showing you have permission to be in this State.

And

  • A scanned copy of your current Certificate of Registration (GNIB card) showing Stamp 1, Stamp 4/ 4EUfam, Stamp 5

OR

  • A scanned copy of your current Certificate of Registration (GNIB card) showing Stamp 3 and scanned copies of the following:
  • Marriage/Civil Partnership Certificate

And

  • Spouse’s passport showing their identification and immigration stamp and their current GNIB card showing Stamp 1, 4 or 5

OR

  • If your spouse holds a Stamp 2 for the purposes of PhD study, please include a copy of their passport showing their identification and immigration stamp and their current GNIB card showing Stamp 2 and documentary evidence from the relevant educational institution showing that they are a PhD student

Applications that are not accompanied by the above documents where necessary will be considered incomplete and will not be processed any further.