Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery

Report by Mary Godfrey, Dean, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery

The Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery has led and advocated for the strategic development of the nursing and midwifery professions since 1974.

Throughout 2024, the Faculty celebrated its 50th Anniversary with several events, culminating in a gala dinner where Professor Marie Carney received a DAISY lifetime achievement award for her contribution to the field.

In December, the Faculty unveiled its third art commission, honouring Dame Peta Taaffe. A founding Member of the Faculty and Ireland’s first Chief Nursing Officer, Dame Taaffe championed many advances in the profession.

Supporting health and societal well-being

The Overseas Aptitude Test (OAT) continues to support national nursing workforce shortages, with 2,407 applicants for General Nurse registration and 17 for Psychiatric Nurse registration. The Faculty was also engaged to deliver OAT OSCE assessments referred by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland’s Fitness to Practice Committee.

In March, the Faculty co-launched the Autism-Friendly Schools project. The report and framework were authored by Dr Sinéad McNally (DCU) and Professor Mary Rose Sweeney, the Faculty’s Executive Vice-Dean for Education.

The Faculty continues to sponsor the DAISY Awards across the HSE Dublin North East Region. A competition to design a similar award for midwifery resulted in the Excellence in Midwifery Award, designed by Cavan-Monaghan Women and Children’s Service.

Transforming education and student success

This year saw the launch of several innovative CPD programmes, including ‘Flourishing’ and ‘Addiction Care in the Health System’ and the Faculty hosted a Human Trafficking Awareness Summit.

In December, the Faculty conferred 88 Fellows and 15 Members.

Leading impactful research

The Annual International Conference welcomed 330 global attendees. At the conference dinner, Honorary Fellowships were awarded to Mr Brendan Gleeson (actor and hospice care advocate) and Ms Helen Behan (actor, nurse and suicide awareness advocate). The Faculty also awarded its first cohort of Fellows PhD scholarships at the conference.

Research outputs continue to increase, with the inaugural cohort of full-time PhD students progressing their impactful projects.

Creating foundations for sustainable impact

The Global Innovation and Leadership Academy (GILA) continues to collaborate with the WHO on several initiatives. The Faculty’s WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing Regulation and Continuing Professional Development was launched in December.

Professor Thomas Kearns (Co-Director GILA) was decorated with the Romanian Presidential Order of Sanitary Merit for his exceptional contributions to healthcare and education.

The Faculty’s latest strategy for 2024-27 was launched this year, and in January, the Faculty completed an Internal Quality Review.