The new School of Nursing at Maynooth University has received official approval from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland and will welcome its first students in September, 2025. Applications for the school’s BSc in General Nursing programme opened on 28 August and the first intake will total 30 students. According to Prof Fintan Sheerin, Founding Head of the new School of Nursing, student numbers are projected to rise to 100 over the next four years, and these students will have an advantage at Maynooth.
“Maynooth University is in a unique position in establishing a wholly new school of nursing. This hasn’t been done in an Irish university for about two decades. We are ideally placed to take the lead in tackling challenges and in re-shaping Irish healthcare education and service delivery,” Prof Sheerin said.
“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, and is offered in partnership with HSE Dublin and Midlands Region.
The school incorporates a vision of community health and wellbeing that will be at the forefront of how service delivery is evolving towards community care hubs and minor injury units. It is fully aligned with the Government’s 10-year Sláintecare health service plan.
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, as well as research and innovation.
Prof Sheerin explained: “What makes the new school’s approach especially distinctive is our focus on integrating community care and primary care – shifting away from a hospital model of nurse education to a community-focused model of maintaining health and wellbeing. Digital health innovation is also a key component of the nursing curriculum. Maynooth University has the opportunity to be a leader in digital health integration and sustainability.”
President of Maynooth University Prof Eeva Leinonen said the development of the new school was part of the University’s strategic plans to develop new programmes in health and medicine, adding: “Forming part of the University’s Strategic Plan 2023-2028, the new School of Nursing will embrace interdisciplinary collaboration, building on our existing and emerging academic and research capabilities in areas such as biomedical sciences, chemistry, and digital health. By fostering inclusive pathways for learning, we look forward to welcoming and inspiring the next generation of nursing professionals.”
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