UCC SONM 25 Year Book

UCC / School of Nursing and Midwifery

North Infirmary Hospital

North Infirmary Hospital In 1895, the Catholics of the City of Cork, presided over by the Most Rev. Dr. O’ Callaghan, the Bishop of Cork, met at the Presbytery of St. Peter & Paul Church, Cork. The object of the meeting was to devise a plan for supplying Catholic trained nurses for the sick. The Daughters of Charity Religious Order were entrusted to take charge of the North Infirmary. They agreed to accept the responsibility of supplying properly trained nurses for the North Infirmary, who would aid the Sisters in attending the sick confided to them, and also a considerable number of Certificated Nurses for the houses of the sick in the city and elsewhere based on certain conditions. Students were called probationers and a document dated 1904 (Appendix B) describes regulations for acceptance for training, during training and if obliged to leave. The St. Vincent’s Catholic Nursing School operated from 1895-1989 and was established by Sr. Teresa O’Callaghan, Matron of the Hospital. By the time St. Teresa O’Callaghan died in 1909, hundreds of nurses had obtained hospital certificates. In 1919, the General Nursing Council (GNC) approved the School as a Training School for Nurses. In 1938, the GNC of Ireland requested the re-application of all training Schools after the issue of new regulations. In August 1938, an application was made and granted, to have the Nursing School recognized as a Training School for Nurses for the General Register. In 1955, An Bord Altranais (formerly the General Nursing Council of Ireland) issued a new set of regulations regarding the minimum requirements essential for the recognition of Nurse Training Schools. In 1957, the “Greencoat School Building” was acquired by the Trustees of the North Infirmary Hospital and knocked down to provide a

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