There’s Never Been A Better Time To Study Nursing At Ara

Aspiring nurses beginning their Bachelor of Nursing at Ara Te Pūkenga in a new August intake could complete their clinical placements anywhere in the country - with accommodation and travel costs covered.

The Minster of Health Ayesha Verrall announced the new cohort this week, confirming the intake will begin in August this year at Ara | Te Pūkenga in Christchurch.

While applicants from Ara’s waiting list for the just-commenced July intake are filling the spaces in the new cohort quickly, head of Department for Health Practice Genevieve Togiaso said there was the capacity for more to take up the opportunity and applications are certainly open.

"Essentially there has never been a better time to study nursing," Togiaso said. "We’ve been well supported by Te Pūkenga to run this additional intake with staff and programmes ready to go. It’s busy getting this in place but it’s also an exciting move."

The ākonga (students) will complete their first year of study based in Christchurch but importantly and for the first time, their clinical placements (in blocks of between five and 12 weeks) during their second and third years of study will be available all over New Zealand.

Nurses studying through Ara | Te Pūkenga in Christchurch currently complete their clinical placements through Te Whatu Ora and other clinical providers in Canterbury, South Canterbury (Ashburton) and West Coast (Greymouth).

Planning is in place to ensure travel and accommodation costs for those students completing their clinical placements outside of Christchurch will be covered.

"This offering could be a game-changer for anyone in the country looking for an opportunity right now to start their study," Togiaso said. "No one else has a degree programme starting at this time of year."

Togiaso said introducing "rolling intakes" throughout the year such as this one could have a positive impact on building and supporting the health workforce in future.

"Our team has been thinking outside of the box, looking to innovate and respond to the needs of the sector."

"Previously we’ve been quite fixed in terms of when clinical placements could begin which created strong peaks of ākonga entering the system. This August intake will effectively stretch our calendar year and mean large volumes of students aren’t landing all at once."

While applications were easy to complete online, Ara’s nursing department was also welcoming any prospective students to reach out directly if they required more information.

"Our admissions and enrolment team are ready to answer any questions about English language assessment dates, clinical placements and application requirements," Togiaso said. "What I would say is simply get in touch with our team and you could have your first semester of study completed by the end of the year."

Applications for the new intake close on 21 July with study commencing on 7 August. Enquiries should be directed to enrolmentsupport@ara.ac.nz.

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