30 nursing students for Maynooth 

MAYNOOTH University’s (MU) new School of Nursing will welcome its first students this month, following official approval by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).

Applications for the School’s BSc in General Nursing programme opened through the CAO, and the first intake of 30 students will commence their undergraduate studies in September.

Professor Fintan Sheerin, founding head of the new MU School of Nursing, said student numbers are expected to rise to 100 over the next four years.

“Maynooth University is in a unique position in establishing a wholly new school of nursing which hasn’t been done in an Irish university for about two decades,” said Prof Sheerin.

“Our new School of Nursing is at the forefront of a new wave in healthcare education. We are committed to inclusive pathways for diverse learners – that was explicit in our commitment that 50 per cent of our students will come from further education and mature learners.” 

The nursing programme, established by Prof Sheerin and his colleagues Dr Adeline Cooney, and Dr Myles Hackett, reflects the policy recommendations of the expert review of nursing and midwifery curriculum published last year.

This means that Maynooth University has a head start with its pioneering curriculum approach that will soon apply across all institutions.

The programme is offered in partnership with HSE Dublin and Midlands Region.

Based in the Eolas Building on campus, the School incorporates a state-of-the-art clinical skills and simulation laboratory that mirrors hospital and community care environments. Students will combine theory with hands-on practice in a controlled environment.

While a BSc in General Nursing will be the core programme, the school will later incorporate other areas of nursing, and is expanding to postgraduate programmes, and research and innovation.