UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery Annual Report 2019

Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC

Foreword

The last year has seen many developments at the Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork. This Annual Report provides an overview of the achievements of the School’s faculty and students in 2019. UCC’s School of Nursing and Midwifery is leading the way in education, research and practice - locally and globally. In November 2019, the School hosted its 25- year celebrations. Over 5,000 nurses and midwives have qualified from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork over its 25-year history. The School has grown from a class of 36 public health nursing students in 1994 to over 1200 undergraduate and postgraduate students today studying across 27 programmes. These educational programmes are designed to meet the evolving health care needs of the population and span areas such as intellectual disability, mental health, public health, children’s, general nursing and midwifery. Many nurses are also choosing to undertake programmes, which provide them with specialist and advanced knowledge and skills with some working as advanced nurse/ midwife practitioners. The World Health Organisation designated 2020 as the “International Year of the Nurse and Midwife”. Nurses are the frontline and backbone of health care delivery comprising over 50% of the global healthcare workforce. The WHO notes that there is a global shortage of nurses estimated to be in the region of 5.9 million. 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 partnership with patients

and their families across teams and services; and can also be found leading cutting- edge research programmes. In developing countries and geographically remote areas, they are often, the first and only point of care in their communities. We are sharing with you some of the UCC staff and student stories to help illustrate the breadth of activities, which are ongoing in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC. School of Nursing and Midwifery staff have helped students gain a career-relevant education, which unlocks new opportunities for students and ultimately helps to serve the healthcare needs of the wider community. Although new graduates are always the most important and exciting development for any university, there have been many other noteworthy changes. This report offers stories, statistics, photos, and details that illustrate a wide range of accomplishments. From teaching & learning, to research, to clinical partnerships, to staff recruitment, to wider societal contributions—the sense of momentum at the School is undeniable. The School has continued to explore opportunities to enhance and support the students experience, diversify the range of research projects, international collaborations and partnerships. Going forward the School has a particular focus on developing and embedding its programmatic approach to research in key target areas as outlined within this report. Looking forward, the School of Nursing and Midwifery continues to evolve with the changing face of health care, and from this,

creates opportunities for student and faculty growth and achievement.

We are also confident that those who review this report will have a clear picture of a School of Nursing and Midwifery whose staff are dedicated to continuous improvement and are constantly striving toward being recognised as the best provider of quality higher education for nurses and midwives in this region and beyond. We also wish to acknowledge the tremendous contribution of nurses, midwives and health care professionals at the frontline during COVID-19. As a Head of a School of Nursing and Midwifery I can say that I am proud to be a Nurse and proud of the contribution of the staff and students to the national efforts to combat COVID-19.

Professor Josephine Hegarty, Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, Ireland

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