About The Department
I want to warmly welcome you to the Department of Nursing and Healthcare Sciences at the newly formed Munster Technological University where the hall marks of compassionate, care and commitment continue to form the bedrock of values across all of our programmes. We host undergraduate programmes in general and mental health nursing and counselling with a focus on addiction. We also host a suite of postgraduate programmes and have local, regional and global partners spreading across Europe, Asia, Africa and America.
Nursing courses are structured to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland standards and requirements, the curriculum is designed on feedback from nursing students, lecturers and our partners within the placement sites so that students are well prepared for their careers. Careers in nursing are evolving as we become digitally competent, evidence based, primary healthcare driven, while all the time inspiring nurses to be competent, knowledgeable and skilled professionals ready to embrace challenges, to be accountable for practice and to lead the future of healthcare for patients and society. Practice placement is diverse and provided in a mix of model 2 and 3 public and private hospitals and community services across Co. Kerry as well as in West and Mid Co. Cork.
Counselling courses can be residential and are delivered by our counselling academic colleagues in Galilee House of Studies in Athy Co. Kildare. These courses are structured to meet the Irish Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists and the Addiction Counsellors of Ireland guidelines. Based on identified need from Cuan Mhuire, the largest residential service for people who are experiencing addiction in Ireland, we also deliver a Postgraduate Special Purpose Award in Gambling Addiction.
As a team of nursing and allied healthcare academics, we work within the Department and across the School to safeguard and to grow the quality and sustainability of the education provided. To this end, we continue to build links between research, education and the care services. We collaborate with colleagues within the hospitals and community services in general and mental health nursing. We are responsive to what is identified as areas of need within our community. Examples of this include the development of a Masters in Advanced Practice Nursing with other colleges and universities across Ireland, the development of Postgraduate Special Purpose Awards in Palliative Care, Wound Management, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care, and Principles of Integrated Care in collaboration with the Health Service Executive and International Foundation for Integrated Care in Ireland.
We are proud to be one of the signatures to the Sigma Chapter of Nursing and Midwifery in Ireland whose vision is to connect and empower nurse leaders transforming global healthcare. The mission is developing nurse leaders anywhere to improve healthcare everywhere and we now have five colleges and universities linked to our Chapter in Ireland.So whether you are a thinking of starting off your career as a nurse or a counsellor, or if you are continuing to develop your career pathway, there are programmes and further short courses that will support your career journey here in the Department of Nursing and Healthcare Sciences at MTU.
Dr. Gerardina Harnett
Head of Department
Directions and Maps to MTU Kerry Campus
North Campus
South Campus
Testimonials
Declan Corcoran - BSc (Hons) in General Nursing
Why did you choose this course?
My career to date has predominately involved dealing with people through customer service. However I always felt that I wanted to do more, to help people at higher level. Having researched my options I felt that nursing would fulfil this need within me.
What attracted you to MTU Kerry Campus?
I had been living in Laois but as part of a “grand plan” I decided to change careers and go back to college. We had family ties in Kerry and the reputation of the Nursing Department in MTU Kerry Campus had a big bearing on our decision to relocate here.
What do you think of MTU Kerry Campus?
My experience here has been very positive. The lecturers are excellent, the college is a very open place so the lecturers are always accessible and there is always a helping hand if you need it.
What about the facilities?
The facilities in the Nursing Building, Sólás, are excellent and the new library is second to none. As a mature student with family commitments I found WebCT invaluable, being able to access course notes from home really helped me to stay on top of my studies.
What have you enjoyed most about studying in Tralee?
I fear that this may sound a little corny, but what I most enjoyed about my time in Tralee was the fact that, while my motivation may have been to help others, I found that the experiences and knowledge that I gained helped me to mature and grow as a person. A large portion of our course was spent within the clinical environment where learning opportunities came from observation and participation. This is an area where, as students, we come face to face with every day people; here we are afforded the privilege of being present in the good times and the not so good. I have never once sighed at the thoughts of going into work as a student nurse and I feel that a lot of the reason for this is due to my time in MTU Kerry Campus.
Ann Marie Bright – Mental Health Nurse
As part of my role as Staff Nurse (Mental Health) I work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team both in in-patient and community settings. It is part of my remit to provide both physical and psychological care to those I serve. Fundamental to the role of the Mental Health Nurse is the therapeutic relationship where support and encouragement are provided to empower the Service User to achieve recovery. There are many challenges inherent to working in public service, most of which are out of the control of one Staff Nurse. MTU Kerry Campus taught me that despite this, individually we can make a huge difference to those in need and have a positive impact on their experience.
The nursing programme at MTU Kerry Campus has a fantastic reputation – the standards set and support provided to achieve these benchmarks is exemplary. Having peers that go ‘above and beyond’ to support Nursing students reinforces the importance of this quality and is something I try to emanate in my practice. The culture of questioning that is nurtured at MTU Kerry Campus remains with me – prompting me to always consider if my interventions are quality, effective and considered best practice.
Studying at MTU Kerry Campus provided me with far more than a degree and the means to register with NMBI. They nurtured my individual skills, attributes and qualities and helped me grow as a person. This foundation gave me to confidence to pursue the MSc in Perinatal Mental Health at the University of Limerick – an area of practice I hope to specialise in.
Rowell Villones - Masters of Science in Nursing
My name is Rowell Villones. I am currently a part-time student in Master of Science in Nursing programme at MTU Kerry Campus while working full-time as a Senior Staff Nurse in Adult Critical Care Unit in University Hospital Kerry.
I have completed my Diploma in Leadership in MTU Kerry Campus in May 2016, which was a step for pursuing my Master’s degree. The flexibility of the programme and the utmost support of the lecturers aided me to continue this journey, despite my demanding workload and family commitments.
I have found that the expertise and professionalism of the nursing faculty in MTU Kerry Campus was exceptional.
I believe that this programme will contribute greatly to my holistic development and will help me achieve my pursuit in advancing my nursing career.
Contact Our Office
Head of Department
Dr. Gerardina Harnett
Address
Nursing Department
MTU Kerry North Campus
Tralee
Co. Kerry
Ireland