Boost for nursing education as college develops €15m facility

A NEW €15 million nurse education facility at Waterford Institute of Technology will provide training for almost 500 nurses and midwives and offer those in the sector an opportunity to upskill.

The Department of Nursing building will allow the college enrol 460 students on degree courses in general, psychiatric and mental handicap nursing from 2005, Environment Minister Martin Cullen announced yesterday as he turned the sod on the facility.

The building is being funded by the Department of Health and Children. The programmes it will offer will be developed in line with recommendations made in the report of the Commission on Nursing in 1998.

Mr Cullen said: “That report set us on course for a major overhaul of nursing and midwifery which are cornerstones of the health service. The changes underway in how we educate nurses and midwives for their important roles are largely based on the recommendations in the Commission’s report.”

WIT director Professor Kieran R Byrne said nurse education has evolved almost beyond recognition in recent years and nursing is now rightly recognised as a highly skilled discipline requiring well-trained professionals with general and specialised training to degree and postgraduate level.

“In addition to providing a range of relevant courses to nurses in training and to those who are already registered nurses, the Institute’s Department of Nursing is developing an international dimension and, as Mr Cullen has indicated, will continue to focus intensively on research and development work within the life and health sciences.

“We will also keep a watchful eye on developments in the fast-paced healthcare and medical devices sector globally, particularly as they impact on the nursing profession. We are also particularly keen to explore partnerships with companies and agencies operating in this sphere that could be attracted to the south-east or which already have bases here,” Prof Byrne said.

A Centre for Nursing Studies was first established at WIT 1996 to coordinate the development of nursing programmes delivered in partnership with the South Eastern Health Board. A number of health board personnel subsequently transferred to roles at the Institute, where nurse education for the region has been centralised since 2002.

In addition to the 460 places on BSc degree programmes in general, psychiatric and mental handicap nursing, the Department of Nursing offers existing registered nurses opportunities for continuous professional development through a National Diploma in Nursing, BSc in Nursing and a Graduate Diploma in Nursing.

Headed by Dr Jean Clarke, the Department of Nursing is part of the School of Health Sciences established as part of the Waterford Institute of Technology Strategic Plan 2003-2006 and led by Dr Eric Martin.