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Institute of Technical Education
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Health Sciences

Higher Nitec in Nursing (3 years) (wef Jan 2024 intake)

Campus

ITE College East

Industry

Healthcare

Paramedic & Emergency Care & Nursing

Course type

Full-time

Certifications

Higher Nitec

Be a part of an extraordinary profession – Nursing, join the Higher Nitec in Nursing course. A curriculum that complements the national healthcare needs and trends through enhanced knowledge, deepen skills and a holistic development for our students.

Course duration: 36 months

Nursing - The Caring Heartbeat of Our Nation.

The Higher Nitec in Nursing course aims to provide an enabling learning experience that will serve as the foundation for nursing practice as an Enrolled Nurse (EN). The programme comprises of two components – 27 months of full-time training at ITE College East and 9 months of supervised clinical attachment at healthcare institutions which includes shifts and weekend duties. You will be assigned to healthcare institutions according to vacancies available. You are also expected to achieve the compulsory 100% attendance during your supervised clinical practice. In order to be eligible for enrolment with the Singapore Nursing Board as an Enrolled Nurse, you are required to complete all the theoretical and practical components of the course successfully.

Note: All students in this course are required to participate in a Group Hospitalisation and Surgical Insurance [GHSI(Healthcare)] scheme which provides coverage for hospitalisation expenses plus an outpatient rider for clinical attachments.

What you'll learn

  • Perform and practices in accordance with institutional/ national legislation, policies and procedural guidelines

  • Participate in the development, implementation, evaluation and documentation of planned nursing care with supervision by the RN

  • Foundational clinical practice with additional enhanced nursing skills such as venepuncture, cannulation, intramuscular injection, wound management and various health assessments

  • Use a range of data gathering techniques including observation, interview, physical examination and measurement to assess client; recognise and report changes in client’s health and functional status to the RN

  • Listen, clarify and communicate clearly through verbal/ non-verbal, written and electronic means to ensure effective communication with clients, families and other healthcare professionals

  • Conduct educational needs assessment, apply principles of learning in health education, and provide accurate and appropriate education to clients

Certification Requirements, Course Structure and Module Objectives [PDF, 164 KB]

General Electives and Life Skills Modules [PDF, 148 KB]

Entry requirements

Admission to Year 1 of the 3-year curriculum structure:

GCE ‘O’ level grades (in any two subjects):

  • Grade 1-8

OR

GCE ‘N’ level passes in English Language, Mathematics and one other subject:

  • Grade A-D or Grade 1-5

OR

Career Conversion Programme for Enrolled Nurses (CCP-EN):

  • Please refer to the WSG website for more details on CCP-EN admission requirements and application

Note:

  • Shortlisted applicants for this course must undergo pre-course interview and must clear a pre-entry medical check-up.

  • All prospective healthcare students must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a vaccine regime recognised in Singapore. Those who are Medically-Ineligible will be subjected to prevailing MOH and healthcare institutions’ policies. Those who are Medically-Eligible but wish to remain unvaccinated may not be able to access the healthcare and community care settings to complete their clinical posting and meet the clinical training requirement necessary for graduation or their course completion may be delayed due to restrictions on clinical training.

  • Students will be required to purchase a laptop for the course. This is in addition to the course fees. Financial assistance is available to eligible students under ITE Opportunity Fund subject to terms and conditions. For more details on the minimum laptop specifications, please click here [PDF, 122 KB].

Occupation Traits and Functional Ability Requirements

Nature of work and functional abilities

Nature of Work

Functional Abilities

Enrolled Nurses (ENs) work as an integral part of the healthcare team to assess, plan, implement and evaluate nursing care for patients, in partnership with the family, significant others and the community to achieve the most optimal care outcomes.

The Singapore Nursing Board’s core competencies for Enrolled Nurses define the knowledge, skills and attributes for ENs to practice in the healthcare sector. The core competencies of ENs encompass generic skills under the following categories:

  • Client/Health Assessment / Reassessment

  • Provision of/Assist in client’s Activities of Daily Living

  • Management of Care

  • Infection Control

  • Communication, Teamwork & Service Skills

  • Client/Health Education & Community Care

  • Critical Thinking / Problem-solving Skills

In this regard, to be competent and safe, the enrolled nurse is required to be efficient in psychomotor and co-ordination skills in order to handle equipment and accessories (for e.g., suctioning apparatus, BP monitoring devices, infusion pumps and dressing sets).

Nurses should have good communication skills to interact with patients and to better anticipate their needs and requests.

Shift work is a requirement of the job.

Hand and finger dexterity, physical mobility, colour recognition ability, sensory (visual, hearing) ability, communication skills, interaction with strangers, interpersonal skills

Attentiveness to safety & hygiene

Mental agility in dealing with non-routine schedules

Ability to work long hours and under time constraints

Higher Nitec in Nursing graduates can be employed in various healthcare organizations and hospitals upon registration with the Singapore Nursing Board.

Due to the job-specific requirements of the healthcare profession in the delivery of direct patient care, all applicants have to pass a pre-admission medical examination and fulfil the 'Fitness to Practice Advisory' for nursing student stipulated by the Singapore Nursing Board:

FITNESS TO PRACTICE ADVISORY FOR NURSING STUDENTS

As the delivery of direct patient care is a requisite of healthcare professions, all applicants must pass a medical examination and be certified to have the following abilities to perform patient care activities in a safe and effective manner:

  1. Mental-Cognitive ability (interpersonal-communication ability and behavioural stability) to:

    1. provide safe care to populations, including safety to self

    2. demonstrate emotional-behavioural stability to function under the stress and pressure when performing nursing care on patients

    3. being observed by instructors and other health care personnel during clinical practice attachments.

  2. Physical ability to:

    1. move around in the clinical environment, walk/stand, bend, reach, lift climb, push and pull, carry objects

    2. perform patient transfers and complex sequences of hand-eye coordination.

  3. Auditory ability to:

    1. hear faint body sounds

    2. auditory alarms

    3. normal speaking level sounds (i.e. blood pressure sounds, monitors, call bells and person-to-person report).

  4. Visual ability to:

    1. detect changes in physical appearance, colour and contour

    2. read medication/ drug labels, syringes, manometers, written and electronic communication accurately.

The above required abilities are stipulated in consultation with Singapore Nursing Board to ensure nursing students are fit to practise when they apply for registration/ enrolment upon graduation from nursing programme.

Interested applicants with known condition(s) or unsure if their condition(s) may affect their ability to deliver safe and effective patient care are highly encouraged to contact Institute of Technical Education for more information.


This course is less suitable for students who do not possess the functional abilities indicated.  If in doubt, please consult your school career guidance officer or visit ITE College East for further academic advising.

Progression opportunities

Higher Nitec in Nursing graduates may apply for progression to the following Work-Study Diploma courses at ITE:

Higher Nitec in Nursing graduates with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 and above may apply for progression to the 2-year pathway of a Nursing diploma course at the Polytechnics.

Higher Nitec in Nursing graduates with a GPA between 2.5 and 2.99 may apply for progression to the 2.5-year pathway of a Nursing diploma course at the Polytechnics.

Higher Nitec in Nursing graduates with a GPA of 2.49 and below may undertake the Certificate in Bridging Studies for Enrolled Nurses (CBSEN) offered at the Polytechnics, to be eligible to apply for progression to the 2.5-year pathway of a Nursing diploma course at the Polytechnics.

Higher Nitec in Nursing graduates with a GPA of 2.0 and above may apply for progression to the first year of other related diploma course at the Polytechnics. For more details on diploma courses for progression, please refer to the Joint Polytechnic Admissions website.

Career opportunities

Graduates from Higher Nitec in Nursing are eligible for registration as an Enrolled Nurse with the Singapore Nursing Board. They can expect to start a rewarding career in healthcare institutions, the community and healthcare sectors with good remuneration package.

Related courses

Higher Nitec in Opticianry (3 years) (wef Jan 2024 intake)

Higher Nitec in Community Care & Social Services (3 years)

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