€5m nurse training centre to open at Mercy

A NEW nurse education centre costing €5.3 million is to open at Mercy University Hospital in Cork.

The 1,337 sq metre centre will include lecture rooms with a capacity for 100 people, a library with two reading rooms, tutorial rooms, practical training rooms, equipment and computer rooms and offices.

It will open next Monday and will focus on post-graduate nurse training, although it is also likely to be used to train ambulance personnel and junior doctors.

Training nurses at the Mercy first started in 1911 when it was run by the Mercy Order of nuns.

In December 1955 the first lay nurses were accepted for training. The Catherine McAuley School of Nursing was established in 1979 and this became the Cork Voluntary Hospitals School of Nursing in January 1989.

Mercy hospital director of nursing Mary Dunnion said educational programmes at the centre would be run in cooperation with other organisations.

“This will involve working in partnership with the directors of nursing midwifery planning and development units, nursing management, hospital management, community care agencies and Higher Education institutions.

“The strategy is based upon the premise that professional development is vital to the provision of quality patient care. Professional development is a process of lifelong learning that meets the needs of patients.”

The National Qualification Authority of Ireland, the Higher Education Training Awards Council, the Further Education Training Awards Council and An Bord Altranais have developed a new national framework of qualifications for all nurse education programmes so that credit, access and progression is available to nurses and midwives.

The nurse education centre will not only serve Mercy University Hospital but also the South Infirmary/Victoria University Hospital, community hospitals throughout the county, primary care services and intellectual disability services.

“Mercy University Hospital acknowledges the co-operation of the local community and thanks them for their patience and tolerance during the building work which took place on a very tight and difficult site,” Ms Dunnion said.

She said the hospital also wanted to acknowledge Cork City Council for allowing the new facility to be built.