BSc nursing admissions, exam schedule announced

LAHORE:The 37th meeting of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Board of Studies in Nursing was held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore.

The meeting approved the admission schedule for the upcoming session of the four-year BSc Nursing degree programme. Additionally, the examination calendar for the two-year and four-year BSc Nursing programmes for 2024 was also approved. Heads of affiliated public and private nursing colleges participated in the meeting.

Participants were informed that admissions to the four-year BSc Nursing degree programme across Punjab will begin this month. The entrance test and interviews are scheduled for the second week of November, with the first merit list expected in the third week of November. The final merit list will be released on December 31. Classes for the Fall Semester will commence on January 13, 2025, while the Spring Semester will start on July 1, 2025.

The examination schedule for 2024 was also approved. The annual exams for the First Professional will take place in the first week of March 2025, Second Professional exams in the first week of April 2025, Third Professional exams in the second week of May 2025, and Fourth Professional exams in the second week of June 2025. Evening session exams for the First Professional of the four-year BSc Nursing programme are scheduled for the second week of October 2024.

Steps were also approved for the development of nursing faculty in the province. UHS decided to dedicate a separate section for nursing research papers in its official journal, Biomedica, and include nursing faculty on its editorial board. Each nursing college will establish a Department of Nursing Education responsible for faculty training programmes, with biannual reports submitted to the university. A separate nursing research journal is planned for the near future.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore announced the formation of a dedicated UHS nursing faculty, with registration through an online portal. Addressing issues related to the equivalence of the two-year Post-RN Nursing programme degree with the Higher Education Commission, the board decided that UHS would conduct special exam in English, Pakistan Studies, and Islamic Studies for graduates.

This one-time exam will facilitate obtaining BSc equivalence from HEC. These subjects will also be included in the Post-RN Nursing curriculum.