UCC’s School of Nursing and Midwifery: Educating the nurses and midwives of the future

Some 5,000 nurses and midwives have qualified from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork over its 25 years history. The School has grown from a class of 36 public health nursing students in 1994 to over 1,200 undergraduate and postgraduate students today studying across 19 programmes, designed to meet the evolving health care needs of the population and span areas such as intellectual disability, mental health, public health, children’s, general nursing and midwifery.

Many nurses choose programmes, which provide them with specialist and advanced knowledge and skills, some work as Advanced Nurse/Midwife Practitioners.

The World Health Organisation designated 2020 as the “International Year of the Nurse and Midwife”. On the 5th of May each year The International Day of the Midwife is celebrated to highlight the important role midwives play in the health of mothers, children and their families. International Nurses Day is observed around the world on the 12th of May of each year (the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth), to mark the contributions that nurses make to society.

Nurses are the frontline and backbone of health care delivery comprising over 50 per cent of the global healthcare workforce. The WHO notes that there is a global shortage of nurses estimated to be in the region of 5.9 million.

Today’s nurses care for patients across the lifespan; run their own clinics, diagnose patients, prescribe X-rays and medications, lead complete episodes of care; work in partnership with patients and their families across teams and services; and can also be found leading cutting-edge research programmes. In developing countries and geographically remote areas, they are often the first and only point of care in their communities.

I am delighted to share with you some inspirational UCC student stories, which illustrate the breadth of roles undertaken, by nurses and midwives and their specialist training requirements.

Sarah Kiely, BSc Midwifery student

Sarah Kiely, BSc Midwifery student is a former champion national and international kick-boxer. Sarah has spent her last placement working with pregnant women in the area of high-risk antenatal care, where she “saw how truly important midwives are in supporting women and families during some of the most stressful days they will experience.”

Sarah plans to combine her fitness expertise with midwifery and hopes she can bring new approaches to supporting women on the pregnancy journey and beyond.

David Fitzgerald, BSc General Nursing student

David Fitzgerald, a BSc General Nursing student said, “Do a job you love and you will never work a day in your life. Each day, whether that be at university or whilst on clinical placement is filled with exciting new things to learn. No two days are ever the same. Yes, there are nursing skills to master however, the life skills I have gained over the last four years far outweigh this.”

In UCC, David plays badminton and is a member of the Nursing and Midwifery Society. David is excited at the opportunities that lie ahead and has a keen interest in developing his expertise in the area of men’s health.

Eimear Sheehan, BSc Mental Health Nursing student 

Eimear Sheehan, a BSc Mental Health Nursing student said, “I chose nursing because every day I have the opportunity to build positive, therapeutic relationships with service users and their family members, at a time where people are most vulnerable. Mental health nursing is at times challenging, however it is a very rewarding job. Every day brings variety, as each individual has a unique journey to mental wellbeing and I am there to guide, support and provide holistic care to service users.”

Eimear hopes to use her dancing, singing and acting skills to creatively support service users on their recovery journey.

Arletta Iwan, BSc Intellectual Disability Nursing student

Arletta Iwan is a BSc Intellectual Disability Nursing student originally from Poland. Arletta previously worked as an Early Childhood Educator and swimming teacher. Arletta said, “I have a caring personality and by applying as a mature student for Intellectual Disability Nursing I was hoping to contribute to enhancing people’s lives. My recent placement showed me that the intellectual disability nurses’ role is complex and that both individual contributions and collaborative teamwork is required to deliver care that brings positive outcomes for the individual. I feel that I am learning and becoming more competent with every placement. In the future I hope to work in the early intervention setting supporting parents and infants from the early days.”

Dolores O'Keeffe, postgraduate diploma in Public Health Nursing (PHN)

Dolores O’Keeffe is a student on postgraduate diploma in Public Health Nursing (PHN), a registered General Nurse and a Registered Midwife. She relocated to community nursing. Here she gained a deeper understanding of how PHNs can make a difference.

During her clinical placements, she learned that “the PHN’s role involves advocating and supporting families, the placements gave me a new appreciation of the health benefits of early intervention programmes. I am enthusiastic about qualifying, managing my own caseload, and contributing to the primary healthcare of individuals, families, and communities.”

Sadhbh O'Connell, postgraduate diploma in Emergency Nursing

Sadhbh O’Connell is undertaking a postgraduate diploma in Emergency Nursing.

She says, “As far back as I can remember I wanted to be a nurse and this was confirmed for me with the volunteer work I did as an Emergency Medical Technician. It confirmed my love for helping those in need and my addiction to adrenaline, which is why when I graduated from nursing school in the US, I became an emergency nurse. Emergency nursing is a fulfilling, rewarding career, where no two days are ever the same and there is great variety of patients, accidents and emergencies. Nursing is a wonderfully versatile career; I have travelled working as far away as Alaska”. Sadhbh plans to progress onto the master’s degree programme.

Margo Noonan, Advanced Nursing Practice (ANP) Masters Programme at UCC

Margo Noonan is undertaking the Advanced Nursing Practice (ANP) Masters Programme at UCC. Margo began her nursing career as a mature student. Now, nearly 20 years later she is working in the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit as a forensic examiner, a career dream come true.

She said, “The unit provides medical and forensic care for males and females over the age of 14 years who have experienced sexual violence. While the work can be hard and at times daunting and overwhelming I think Irish nurses have a resilience and a pride in their work.”

Margo in her thesis work is focusing on addressing the low disclosure rates among younger men who experience sexual violence. The ANP programme prepares nurses to practice at a higher level of capability, be autonomous, and expert person centred practitioners.

Sinéad Horgan, PhD in Nursing Programme at UCC

Sinéad is an Assistant Director of Nursing in the South/South West Hospital Group. Sinéad is currently undertaking a PhD in UCC’s School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Sinéad’s research shows that by implementing evidenced based interventions healthcare teams can improve patient outcomes post-surgery.

Sinéad said “I have been afforded many great opportunities by the HSE and UCC throughout my career which have greatly enhanced both my professional and personal development. An Irish Degree in Nursing is just the beginning and with that as a platform, the choices are endless. The COVID19 crisis reminds me yet again why I became a Nurse and why I am so immensely proud of this profession.”