There's a belief that a drop in the number of students applying for nursing degrees is partly down to negative stories about emergency departments.
However, while the number of nursing applicants through the CAO is down, more nursing places are available compared to last year.
Around 85 percent of CAO applicants got a place in one of their top 3 courses.
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Guidance Counsellor Brian Mooney says there are a number of reasons why nursing places are down:
