KEY POINTS:
Qualification: Manukau Institute of Technology Certificate in Foundation Education - Pre Nursing.
Where: Manukau Institute of Technology School of Foundation Studies.
Contact: (09) 968 8716 or TXT 3338; info@manukau.ac.nz; manukau.ac.nz.
Entry requirements: Open entry. All applicants interviewed and assessed on communication and maths to find appropriate level within
the programme. International students also accepted. Forty-two per cent of students are school leavers under 25. Minimum age accepted is 16.
2009 fees: About $2600 per semester for pre-degree nursing.
You want to be a nurse but dropped out of school and don't have the entry requirements to get into a nursing degree? You're not the only one!
Many providers, including Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT), offer bridging courses to help people enter employment or tertiary study.
Foundation Education at MIT offers bridging programmes into many degrees, including teaching, social work, business, armed forces and engineering, as well as nursing.
Students enter into one of three levels within subjects, building up to level four on the NZ Qualifications framework. This prepares them for university study, says Foundation Education head of school Kirk Sargent.
"We tested this a year ago by comparing Foundation Education graduates with a cohort of school leavers entering nursing and found there was no difference in how well they performed over the year."
Pre-nursing foundation students usually spend a year in the programme, depending on their ability. Students with ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) requirements tend to take 18 months to reach the 6.5 IELTS (International English Language Testing System) level required to enter nursing.
The foundation nursing students typically complete courses in communications, Te Tiriti, research, microbiology and human biology and chemistry. They also do humanities and maths for health, which includes topics such as drug calculations.
Knowledge of science, particularly biology, is strongly emphasised because many students enter with little knowledge of science.
"To enter nursing they need to also do well in communications and complete a research project," says Sargent.
"It is a big challenge for some, but really important because it integrates the learning together in a nursing context."
Communications is a core subject that includes writing for academic purposes, research skills, referencing skills and interpersonal communications; all key skills for successful tertiary study, says Sargent.
"Not all students who enrol on our pre-degree nursing programme will go on to the degree. Students who achieve A and B grades are typically accepted. Many seek other opportunities through the department of Nursing and Health Studies such as health care assistant and nurse support work."
GRADUATE
Gina Ellia, 23
First year Bachelor of Nursing student at Manukau Institute of Technology.
Completed Foundation Education pre-nursing pathway in December.
"I enrolled in Foundation Education because I didn't have the entry requirements to get into nursing. I dropped out of school in Year 11 to work at Foodtown. I did go back to school but got pregnant when I was 18.
"Last year, I decided I wanted to do something better for my daughter, Shavonte, and me. I had started working in a beauty salon, but realised I wanted to use my brain more.
"I have a passion for working with people and helping people so I thought about nursing. I also liked the idea of making good money and maybe working overseas eventually. One of my mum's friends lectures in MIT's nursing department and told me about the pre-degree course so I enrolled.
"I didn't do well in the first semester of Foundation Education. I didn't always go to classes, so I had to redo some subjects. Then I realised if I wanted to pass I had to attend class.
"It is funny how much easier the subjects became once I started turning up. Like, maths! I went from an E in first semester to a B in the next.
"There were about 19 people in my pre-nursing class and eight of us got into the degree. I also got a scholarship for my fees.
"I'm in my first year of the nursing degree and I like it, even bioscience which I didn't like at school." The difference is there is a purpose behind learning about it, she says.
"Foundation Education provided the foundation I needed to go into nursing, like writing essays, and maths, bio and chem. We also learned how to use the facilities like the library and computer rooms.
"I also learned there is no point nodding and pretending to understand, so I ask questions. The lecturers in Foundation Education made me feel comfortable about doing that. They were really helpful, often available on their lunch breaks for us.
"Sometimes I had to leave early to pick up my baby and that wasn't a problem. But they were also strict about what we had to learn.
"It is way easier to start the degree if you have Foundation Education behind you. You do have to put in a lot of effort but it pays off," she says.