An investigation into the validity of specifying 5 "O' levels in the General Certificate of Education as an entry requirement for the education and training of district nurses.

District nursing, like many other professionalizing occupations, has stipulated that possession of five ordinary level GCE passes might constitute one criterion of entry. This paper reports a longitudinal study over four intakes of district nurse students in one teaching centre and examines the relationship between selection criteria, in particular educational achievement prior to entry to the course, and the students' achievement during this. The research explored the relationship between educational achievement prior to commencing their course of study and the level of academic and practical performance during it. Additionally other factors, including the results of aptitude and personality tests, were examined to see if they would provide indication of the level of the students; grades during training. No factors were discovered that might provide an adequate basis for selection, which raises questions about trying to specify any pre-requisite for selection other than state registration and appropriate professional experience until further research has been undertaken.