COSTAATT has met with the Nursing Council concerning its Assistant Nursing Programme, which was suspended last week over the Council's lack of approval.
It's a hold-up which stands to adversely affect some of the 400 applicants of the programme.
However, COSTAATT is hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon.
00:00The College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago, Kostad, says it has been the largest trainer of nursing personnel for years, approved to provide certificate to postgraduate degrees in different areas of the field. It includes an associate in applied science degree in general nursing.
00:18In 2024, the Ministry of Education's Nursing Education Program was transferred to Kostad, along with the Ministry's staff and students within the program, and Kostad revised the curriculum which was sent to the Accreditation Council and the Nursing Council, both of which have to grant approvals.
00:36The assistant nursing program is at advanced certificate level.
00:39President of Kostad, Dr. Keith Nurse, tells TV6 News the documentation was submitted to the entity simultaneously in preparation for rollout at the start of the 2025 academic year.
00:51That was submitted back in February 2024 to both organizations. We received from the ACTT approval in 2024, November, and we've been in contact with the NCTT on several occasions, providing additional documentation.
01:15But no approval has come from the NCTT, which formed the basis of a meeting on September 8th between Kostad, the ACTT, and the NCTT.
01:26And what is the holdup?
01:28Yeah, well, from our standpoint, and I've made this point yesterday in the meeting, from our standpoint, this has been an inordinately long process.
01:40For something for which we have maximum competence in, and for which we have submitted over the years, many programs to both the ACTT and the NCTT.
01:57So the process is not anything that's new.
02:00Dr. Nurse has no reason has been given by the NCTT as to why it has so far been unable to provide approval.
02:06And the same more or less applies to the delay in the process.
02:11However, Dr. Nurse tells us that the NCTT has committed to submitting the documentation to its Education Committee for it to be reviewed,
02:19a process he was told would take two weeks, following which the committee's findings will go to the NCTT's board.
02:26According to Dr. Nurse, many of the 400 applicants to the program are coming from the regional health authorities.
02:33However, some are said to be at the age of 45, presenting a challenge which could put their future at a serious disadvantage.
02:42Under the NCTT's regulations, there's an age limit for granting registration to nurses in this area, and the age limit is 46.
03:02So anyone who passes his age limit by the end of this year would have aged out of the program to be registered by the NCTT.
03:17And therefore, they'll be unable to attain a license to operate as a nursing assistant, hindering promotions, etc.
03:24The window of opportunity to begin the program is closing day by day.
03:28If the program does not start before November 2025, we will have to go back to the ACTT for approval.
03:39Kostad says the latest time frame for a start date to the nursing assistant program is at the end of October 2025.
03:48Kostad is the only institution in the country where this program is being offered.
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