UCC SONM 25 Year Book

UCC / School of Nursing and Midwifery

nurse educators embrace the practice of the flipped classroom, using problem and team-based learning approaches, advanced and virtual simulation methodologies all of which help develop transferable problem solving, critical thinking and life-long learning skills. The curious and questioning student will seek answers to clinically relevant questions. Measuring and understanding the impact of nursing, nursing interventions and nursing and midwifery care helps to ensure the sustainability of emergent and new ways of providing nursing care and in providing the evidential basis for safer and high-quality healthcare. Routine use of big data, quality improvement methodologies, and implementation science will enhance team functioning and ultimately patient outcomes. The key role of doctoral prepared nurses and midwives in leading transformative changes in senior administrative, policy, educational and research arenas has never been more critical. The reason a School of Nursing and Midwifery exits is to prepare nurses and midwives who can meet yet unknown challenges thus flexibility and change are part of what we do as evidenced by the evolution and change in the range of programmes and activities at the school over the past 25 years. To help ensure we are prepared for future changes staff from the school need to remain connected to our alumni, connected to our clinical partners and community, connected to the policy makers and indeed staff and students of the school need to become the policy makers of the future. Nurses and midwives will continue to be seen as the major provider of healthcare globally. 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 real partnership with patients/clients and their families across teams and services; and can also be found leading cutting-edge research programmes. Thus, nurses and midwives need to respond rapidly to scientific and technological advancements whilst maintaining the focus on their compassionate caring role which is arguably the biggest challenge of all. If the school remains committed to the values of respect, accountability, compassion, care, commitment; this will help address this challenge. The students, practitioners and faculty of the future also need to have skills to care for their own physical, mental health and wellbeing, thus this is an important component of future curricula. Indeed, the future of the School of Nursing and Midwifery is inextricably linked to the future professional lives of nurses and midwives and to the quality of health service provision. As one develops and improves so too does the other. Ultimately the school wishes to graduate nurses and midwives who are caring, confident, competent and collaborative practitioners, scholars and leaders of the future.

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