The application window for the 2025/2026 PHN Sponsorship Programme has now closed.
It is envisaged that the application process for the 2026/2027 programme will open in 2026 . Further information will be posted here once available.
The eligibility criteria for the 2025/2026 Programme was as follows:
Candidates must at the latest date of application:
i. Be registered in the General Nursing Division of the Register of Nurses maintained by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) or entitled to be so registered
and
ii. have a minimum of 2 years post registration general nursing experience.
OR
i. Be registered in the General Nursing Division and another Division of the Register (including Registered Midwife (RM), Registered Children’s Nurse (RCN), Registered Nurse Intellectual Disability (RNID) or Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) Divisions of the Register of Nurses and Midwives) maintained by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) or entitled to be so registered
and
ii. have a minimum of 12 months post registration general nursing experience as an RGN,
and
iii. have a minimum of 12 months post registration experience as an RM or RCN or RNID or RPN
AND
Meet the HEI academic criteria set by the relevant Higher Education Institutes: as outlined below:
HEI Academic Criteria - Academic Criteria
Applicants must provide evidence of study at Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) Level 8 (Honours Degree/Level 8 Higher Diploma) or above (Level 9 award) by providing an academic transcript.
An academic transcript is an official document from a college or university showing the final marks achieved and awarded (total final grade and grades for each module completed over the course of the programme). It is only available to students following the completion of an academic programme. Only official university academic transcripts will be accepted. If the document does not state ‘Academic Transcript’ the applicant must submit a supporting letter from the university or college confirming the submitted document is equivalent to an academic transcript. The parchment that graduates receive on a graduation day is not an academic transcript. (Please refer to Appendix 2 Recruitment & Selection Process for further information & examples of what we can & cannot accept)
The academic transcript provided by the applicant will be used as evidence to verify the level of academic course(s) previously undertaken. It must be complete and must demonstrate that the applicant has studied at Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) Level 8 or above and has been awarded an Irish NFQ Level 8 Honours Degree or Level 8 Higher Diploma or a Level 9 award (minimum of 10 ECTS for Level 9 award). It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the programme of study they are presenting is equivalent to Irish NFQ Level 8 or above, please refer to http://www.nqai.ie or http://www.nfq.ie for further information.
If an applicant’s award is from a university outside of the Republic of Ireland it is their responsibility to ensure the award is equivalent to Irish NFQ Level 8 or above by submitting a supporting letter from the university.
The Office of the Nursing & Midwifery Services Director hosted an Information Webinar earlier this year to provide potential applicants with further information on the programme. A recording of the webinar can be found at the link below:
PHN Sponsorship Programme - Information Webinar
Further information is also available on the ONMSD website:
https://healthservice.hse.ie/about-us/onmsd/education-and-continuous-professional-development/cpd-for-nurses-and-midwives/onmsd-sponsorship-schemes/student-public-health-nurses.html
If you are interested in further information and would like to be included in notification emails in relation to the PHN Sponsorship Programme, please click on the link below and register your details with CareerHub:
https://careerhub.hse.ie/public-health-and-community-nursing/
For further information on the HSE Recruitment & Selection Process please click on the link below:
https://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/jobs/recruitment-process/
Further information on the HSE Public Health Nursing Services, can be accessed at the link below:
https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/2/primarycare/national-phn-service/
The NRS recommend that you visit this advance notice page regularly for updates.
