Nursing 2

Like other caring professions in latter years, nursing was perceived as a ‘calling’ and thus a lack of emphasis was placed on professional training or academic excellence.  Then in 1994, with a move from the certificate to a three-year Registration/Diploma Programme, the bar for entry to nursing was raised. By the time the degree in nursing came on stream in 2002, the area had been recognised not as a vocation but as a profession.
 
Colleges and universities have answered the resultant demand for continuing professional training and qualifications in both the broad area of nursing and specific areas of expertise such as palliative care, gerontology, and psychiatric nursing.

At NUI Galway, a wide range of taught postgraduate programmes is available to nurses who build upon an area of specialisation. One of the growing areas of specialisation is oncology (cancer care) nursing, which at NUIG is taught through a 'blended learning approach' whereby students access lectures, reading material, activities and discussion online and then come to the university for two-day workshops on each module they have studied during the programme.
 
‘We have an online blackboard system, whereby students might spend two weeks examining and discussing a topic such as lung cancer before they come to a workshop,’ explained Programme Director Maura Dowling. ‘We also have two online facilitators who possess more than twenty years' clinical experience – we embrace experience on this programme’.

Dr Dowling describes cancer care as an area that has undergone ‘huge changes...and nurses are needed to implement these changes. Oncology nurses have to be scientifically minded to deal with the areas of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but they also need to be excellent communicators in order to treat cancer patients.

‘The students who do best are those who relate theory to practice. Some of our students wouldn't have a degree and would have entered the programme through completing a qualifier essay. But these students tend to have had many years' experience in cancer wards, they've seen it all, and we really value that’.

The school of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin runs postgraduate diploma and master’s courses in both taught and research formats. Their Master of Science in Gerontological Nursing seeks to answer the needs of an ageing society where proper care of the elderly is more highly prioritised. This two-year course is open to registered nurses who have attained both a degree and professional experience. As part of their master’s, students will examine the concepts and practice behind gerontological nursing and develop an awareness of the ageing process. They will also study the ethics and laws that govern healthcare. In the second year, they will complete a dissertation of 20,000-25,000 words.

Research areas at TCD are divided into broad themes from ‘Children’ to ‘Mental Health’. Current research topics for PhD student theses include ‘The nature of communication for children admitted to a specialised paediatric hospital’ and ‘Exploring stigma and dementia’.

The stigma surrounding mental illness in Ireland has somewhat abated and this is in no small part connected to the education and training of those who seek to work in the area of psychiatric care. Moira O’Donovan, coordinator of the Postgraduate Diploma in Acute and Enduring Mental Health Problems- Mental Health Nursing at the Catherine McAuley School of Nursing, UCC, explains the ethos of the course:

‘Our programme is underpinned by a ‘recovery model’. This means that we are looking at mental health in a social, psychological and holistic manner with an emphasis on self-management and person-centred care.’

The course, a level 9 on the framework of qualifications, was established in 2003. Students in general apply to this course to advance their specialist clinical skills and knowledge, based on best practice and evidence.  The Diploma is An Bord Altranais Category 2 approved; which is a requirement for Clinical Nurse Specialist posts.

Applicants must be registered psychiatric nurses with a minimum of two years’ experience, but according to Ms O’Donovan ‘we get students who have been working in psychiatric nursing for up to twenty years’.

The programme consists of both core and specialist subjects. Students will study broad areas such as Ethics and Research, and will also complete modules dealing specifically with the mental health area. Modules are taught in a way that blends theory and first-hand experience. ‘We include a lot of service-user involvement,’ Ms O’Donovan explains, ‘meaning that some of our modules are partly delivered by those who have used psychiatric services. We also invite carers to talk to our students, to discuss their experiences and suggest ways that carers could be better supported by nurses. We also explore psychosocial intervention interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy, medication management, and family interventions.’

The philosophy of the course, according to Ms O’Donovan is to ‘place the person at the centre of care and to foster the development of a collaborative, empowering, and advocacy approach in working with people experiencing mental health problems.’

Dublin City University currently leads the first 5-year programme of research in Nursing and Midwifery ever funded in this country.  As part of the nursing faculty, programmes in nursing and health care practice and also counselling and psychotherapy are run. In all programmes, a person-centered, multidisciplinary care model is emphasised, in response the changing style of health care provision. The Graduate Diploma/Master of Science in Nursing Practice allows students to attain a diploma after 18 months, and then having achieved a required standard, progress to master’s level for the final six months. All nursing courses are run on a part time basis, to accommodate students while they remain partly in the workplace.

Students who do not meet these requirements may enter through an access course provided at the university, whereby they will study one core module along with two optional nursing modules, which vary from broad (Communication Skills) to specific (Nursing Individuals with Diabetes).

There are vast options available to nurses who wish to further their education at postgraduate level. Healthcare in Ireland is in flux, attitudes and demands are changing, and consequently, well-trained, experienced nurses are highly prized.