THE INMO AND Psychiatric Nurses Organisation have called on TDs and Senators to meet them today at a briefing session that will discuss the HSE scheme for graduate nurses.

The HSE graduate nursing programme opened earlier this month, with the application window initially open for a week. But due to low levels of interest, it will remain open until 1 February to attract applicants. The INMO has called for a boycott of the scheme.

Currently, interested graduate nurses have until noon on Friday 1 February to apply.

The HSE told TheJournal.ie:

As the rate of applications received to date for Phase 1 of the graduate nurse recruitment scheme has been slower than anticipated, the HSE has extended the closing date by two weeks. Applications will now be accepted until noon on Friday, 1 February.

Eligibility for the jobs initiative is also now open to nursing graduates from 2010 and 2011, in addition to 2012 graduates. The graduate nurse recruitment initiative is intended to provide up to 1,000 graduates with two-year contracts across HSE and HSE funded sites.

The HSE said that it “will not be in a position to provide details on application numbers until after the closing date”.

INMO

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said that they have intensified their campaign in calling for people to boycott the nurse graduate programme. They invited all TDs and Senators to an information briefing session in Leinster House today on the issue.

They said that the session will “present the flaws in this [graduate scheme] initiative” and “clarify why and how savings can be made while still respecting agreed rates of pay”.

The organisations also said that comments made by the Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly, in the Sunday Business Post that young professionals could take a graduate job or face the alternative of emigrating or working in a fast food outlet, had further galvanised their campaign.

The INMO and the Psychiatric Nurses Association said they had been inundated with calls from new graduates saying they had felt insulted by these comments. The organisations also said that the position of all TDs relating to the programme will be made known to their members.

Read: INMO: Minimal applications means boycott on nurse graduate scheme working>

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