UCC SONM 25 Year Book

UCC / School of Nursing and Midwifery

Professor Geraldine McCarthy and Therese Ahern

Summary The establishment of the School and associated undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are described in this chapter. In particular, the introduction of the BSc Nursing Degree as well as postgraduate diplomas in Midwifery, Community/Public Health and other specialist programmes are detailed.

Striving to achieve an excellent student experience is central to the success of the School.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF STAFF TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND ONGOING WORK OF THE SCHOOL IS ACKNOWLEDGED.

Overthepastthreedecades,nursingeducationinIrelandhasexperienced revolutionary changes, during which the hospital-based apprenticeship certificate model of nurse training was replaced with a college (diploma level) education model and latterly by a four year honours Bachelor’s degree programme for entry to the register of nurses. These times were also associated with many differing perspectives including and initial feeling the old way was the best, periods of confusion and uncertainty and latterly a rapid acceptance of change with a growing realisation that the changes were impacting positively on the disciplines of nursing and midwifery and on patient care (Brady & Hyde 2002, Aiken et al., 2014).

118