Medical educationThe first of six new nurse training buildings in institutes of technology around the State was officially opened in Athlone yesterday by Minister for Health Mary Harney.
The purpose-built facility at Athlone IT cost €8.2 million to complete. Similar buildings will open at Dundalk and Tralee institutes of technology over the coming two weeks.
Head of nursing and health sciences at Athlone IT, Aideen O'Connor, said the new centre represented a huge improvement in facilities for both trainee nurses and nurses undertaking post-graduate courses. In the past, students had to travel to Tullamore hospital for some classes.
The new centre is self-contained and includes a specialised nursing library, a suite of clinical simulated labs similar to a hospital ward, a computer room, general classrooms and a small canteen.
The opening of the new buildings in the six institutes of technology is the culmination of recent policy to fully integrate nursing training into the third-level sector and to increase the number of training centres.
Nurse training is now provided at 13 institutes around the State - in seven universities and six institutes of technology - where students can undertake four-year honours degree courses in general or psychiatric nursing.
Ms O'Connor said the new training system was an important step forward as it gave nursing a more professional status. "Nurses were fighting for this for years," she said.
Nurse training started in Athlone in 1998 when a national diploma in general nursing was offered. From 2002, when nurse training was fully integrated into the third-level education system, with students generally applying through the CAO, a BSc in both general and psychiatric nursing was offered. Each year there are places for 42 students in general nursing and 18 in psychiatric nursing.
Ms O'Connor said the availability of training in the midlands region opened up the profession to people who could not have relocated to cities, such as those with young children or mature or married students.
It also made it easier for nurses in the region to undertake post-graduate courses, she said, as a number of health courses for graduates were also offered.
Students at the college go on placement to hospitals in Mullingar, Tullamore and Portlaoise. Ms O'Connor said they were also exploring links with colleges in other EU countries to open up the possibility of students getting work experience abroad.
France was the first country where possible links were being explored, but financial issues remained to be resolved, she said.