
Pre Nursing 2012/2013
Our 2012/2013 Plc session is going from strength to strength. Take a look at the updates from our coordinator and current Pre-Nursing students.
May 2013
Class Photo
April 2013
Friday 19th April
video clip 19/04/2013
Disability Awareness Day -St. Conleth’s Community College
On Friday last the Pre Nursing group participated in a ‘Disability Awareness Day’ where they all took on a disability for the day and were set tasks to carry out.
The disabilities included 1) Loss of sight, 2) Loss of Hearing 3) Loss of movement in lower limbs.
The tasks included: - Students used the college facilities and also the local facilities in Newbridge. They visited local shops and used their facilities such as check outs and fitting rooms. They also visited many of the local restaurants, the post office, the parish centre and the train station.
The overall reaction of the group was very positive. They were able to experience firsthand the many feelings/experiences that people with disabilities must feel every day of their lives. On completion of the task we had a feedback session where the students were able to share their experiences with the rest of the group. The main themes that emerged were:-
Frustration at not being able to access certain facilities
Feelings of isolation/loneliness
Being patronised by others
Loss of independence
Physical /mental exhaustion from being confined to a wheelchair
Lack of facilities in certain areas
All of the students expressed how they were grateful for this experience as being the carers of the future it is very important to be able to empathise with your clients and how better to do it than to experience even if only for a short time what it is like to sit a while in their chair.
In the afternoon the group were joined by Gillian Goulding and members of the Irish Wheelchair Association Athy branch. This proved to be an excellent afternoon. The students had recorded their experience on video and showed it to the guests who were able to share their own individual experiences with the students.
The afternoon went very well with some of the students baking cakes for the occasion. It ended with one of the students Catriona Mc Closkey presenting Ms Goulding with a cheque following our ‘Have a Heart for Charity’ day the previous week.
Georgina Finnegan
Check out what’s happening with the pre nurses in the coming weeks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday 12th April
Have your Blood pressure checked by our Pre- Nursing students in aid of two great causes, The Irish Heart Foundation and The Irish Wheelchair Association Athy Branch.
Why not come along and get your BP checked and have a chat with the group about your heart health while also finding out what the course entails.
St Conleths Community College - 8am-1pm
Light Refreshments Afterwards
Suggested donation of €2 per person
Friday 19th April
The pre nurses in conjunction with Irish Wheelchair association Athy Branch will be having a disability awareness day. This will involve the students taking on a disability for the day. The day is organised with the help of everyone in the Athy Branch of IWA. The staff and members will join us in the afternoon for an informal discussion on the morning assimilations and on what it is like to live on a day to day basis with a disability.
Format of the day: The students will assimilate having a disability and will be given an agenda for the day where they will have certain tasks to carry out around the town using the local amenities. The aim of this exercise is to allow the students to experience what it is like to live with a disability. This exercise has proven very successful in the past as it is very different learning about what it is like to care for people with disabilities in the classroom than to actually experience it for yourself.
Work Experience
On the 28th January the pre nursing students finally got to begin their work placements. They had been preparing for this since October when they began by preparing their CV’s and applying to many health care settings in the hope of gaining practical experience while also working alongside professional health care teams.
The students were very nervous prior to their placements as it is much easier to talk about how to treat a patient or to assist them with their activities of daily living than it is to actually put all that theory into practise.
However we are pleased to announce that when the pre nursing tutors went out to visit the students and to meet the Clinical Nurse Managers the feedback was excellent. Every facility reported professional behaviour, eagerness to learn and an ability to fit in comfortably with the varied professional multi disciplinary teams. All of the facilities invited our prospective students for 2013/2014 for work experience as they were so pleased with the behaviour and ability of our 2012 team.
The students reported that they were made very welcome and allowed to practise their skills under professional supervision.
There were too many facilities used to mention here but the students did not only stay local but went far and wide to obtain their experience. Naas Hospital, Crumlin Hospital, Portlaoise Hospital, and many of the local Nursing Homes and Care centres were among the many establishments available to us.This was also the first year that our Pre Nursing students got an opportunity to work in areas of Mental Health. All of this is very valuable experience and it has allowed the group to make decisions regarding the area of nursing that most suits them.
We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the students for their excellent and professional performance while on placement and also to thank all of the Directors of Nursing that allowed them to join their teams for a short while as without the support of all the hospitals and care centres this course would not be possible.
DCU Trip
On the 18th January over 25 of the pre nurses went on a day trip to the Nursing Faculty in Dublin City University. We were invited there by Evelyn Kelleher the head of department. The day began with coffee and buns, followed by a very interesting lecture from Evelyn on an overview of the Nursing Department. This talk included many aspects of studying nursing in DCU including many of the teaching methods used on the course which cleared up a lot of issues for all the students. This was followed by a tour of the department where we were met by the clinical nurse tutors who spent a considerable amount of time demonstrating the many learning opportunities and we all got a chance to practice our skills on the ‘patients’ (mannequins). We even got to prove to Georgina that our hand washing techniques were perfect as there was a machine to show up areas commonly missed in the interest of infection prevention and we all scored 100%! J.
The entire group really enjoyed the day and it instilled in all of us the desire to keep striving for our goal of a third level course next year and ultimately a career in nursing. We wish to thank the Nursing Faculty at DCU for this special opportunity and hope that next year’s students enjoy it as much as we did.
Ann Marie and Grace
Coordinators note
It is hard to believe another year is well underway. This year we have well over forty Pre Nursing students.
It is our hope that this year we will offer the reader of this website an ongoing view of the year as it unfolds.
At the moment the students are busy with assignments and preparing for their work experience placements. Just last week they all received their Pre Nursing Practical Packs which will enable them to practice skills such as monitoring blood pressures and checking oxygen saturation levels. Many of them have secured places in large teaching hospitals where no doubt they will gain tremendous experience that will stand to them in their future careers.
This month we are happy to include a piece from one student who echoes the thoughts of her many pre nursing colleagues when she details her thoughts of the course to date.
We also include a student account of our first guest speakers who came from Trinity College to inform the group on Mental Health Nursing.
Regards from the Pre Nursing Team
Pre-Nursing Overview 2012/2013
Being a Pre-Nursing student in St Conleths community college is a privilege and a wonderful opportunity for progression to third level education. On this course a nursing student has much to learn in a relatively short period of time so it is important that you attend classes in order to take in the knowledge provided by the experienced tutors.
Yes it can be hard and you may be feeling nervous and worried of what is to come, let me reassure you that over the next few months what you are about to learn will be worth it, you will acquire valuable memories and skills that will help you progress and will stay with you throughout your nursing career.
To date we are in our third month of the course and we have covered many interesting and important skills such as patient handling, manual handing, bed bath, assisting patients with activities of daily living such as showering and feeding, taking observations such as temperatures, pulse and respirations and charting the results. Next week we go on to taking blood pressures. As well as other key skill such as appropriate washing of hands, the use of Protective personal equipment, bed making, etc.
As a Nursing class we work together as a group in order to practice and demonstrate the skills we are learning. It is great to have such a solid, hard working, enthusiastic group of people to share the experience with and combine everyone’s skill and knowledge to the numerous practical tasks.
I am looking forward to see what the rest of the course has in store.
Regards
Anne Marie from Pre Nursing
Guest Speakers:
Last week we had our first guest speakers. They were the placement officers for Mental Health Nursing from Trinity College. I feel this talk benefited us all greatly. Bernie and Jenny (the speakers) gave us a detailed insight into Mental Illness, causes, treatments and management and also the role of a Nurse trained in Mental Health. Bernie outlined the different aspects of the four year degree course. If any of us had any doubts or queries on following that particular career path they were all cleared up in that two hour talk. For many of us it may have encouraged us to change the area of nursing that we will apply for when filling in our CAO forms (which is our next job!) Overall it was a worthwhile experience as it cleared up many myths about Mental Health Nursing and gave us an insight into what happens at degree level.
We look forward to our next guest speaker which is the Chair person of the Kildare Alzheimers society followed by a Nurse specialist in Palliative care.
Regards
Sinead from Pre Nursing
Pre Nursing 2012/2013
Our 2012/2013 Plc session is going from strength to strength. Take a look at the updates from our coordinator and current Pre-Nursing students.
It is hard to believe another year is well underway. This year we have well over forty Pre Nursing students.
It is our hope that this year we will offer the reader of this website an ongoing view of the year as it unfolds.
At the moment the students are busy with assignments and preparing for their work experience placements. Just last week they all received their Pre Nursing Practical Packs which will enable them to practice skills such as monitoring blood pressures and checking oxygen saturation levels. Many of them have secured places in large teaching hospitals where no doubt they will gain tremendous experience that will stand to them in their future careers.
This month we are happy to include a piece from one student who echoes the thoughts of her many pre nursing colleagues when she details her thoughts of the course to date.
We also include a student account of our first guest speakers who came from Trinity College to inform the group on Mental Health Nursing.
Regards from the Pre Nursing Team
Pre-Nursing Overview 2012/2013
Being a Pre-Nursing student in St Conleths community college is a privilege and a wonderful opportunity for progression to third level education. On this course a nursing student has much to learn in a relatively short period of time so it is important that you attend classes in order to take in the knowledge provided by the experienced tutors.
Yes it can be hard and you may be feeling nervous and worried of what is to come, let me reassure you that over the next few months what you are about to learn will be worth it, you will acquire valuable memories and skills that will help you progress and will stay with you throughout your nursing career.
To date we are in our third month of the course and we have covered many interesting and important skills such as patient handling, manual handing, bed bath, assisting patients with activities of daily living such as showering and feeding, taking observations such as temperatures, pulse and respirations and charting the results. Next week we go on to taking blood pressures. As well as other key skill such as appropriate washing of hands, the use of Protective personal equipment, bed making, etc.
As a Nursing class we work together as a group in order to practice and demonstrate the skills we are learning. It is great to have such a solid, hard working, enthusiastic group of people to share the experience with and combine everyone’s skill and knowledge to the numerous practical tasks.
I am looking forward to see what the rest of the course has in store.
Regards
Anne Marie from Pre Nursing
Guest Speakers:
Last week we had our first guest speakers. They were the placement officers for Mental Health Nursing from Trinity College. I feel this talk benefited us all greatly. Bernie and Jenny (the speakers) gave us a detailed insight into Mental Illness, causes, treatments and management and also the role of a Nurse trained in Mental Health. Bernie outlined the different aspects of the four year degree course. If any of us had any doubts or queries on following that particular career path they were all cleared up in that two hour talk. For many of us it may have encouraged us to change the area of nursing that we will apply for when filling in our CAO forms (which is our next job!) Overall it was a worthwhile experience as it cleared up many myths about Mental Health Nursing and gave us an insight into what happens at degree level.
We look forward to our next guest speaker which is the Chair person of the Kildare Alzheimers society followed by a Nurse specialist in Palliative care.
Regards
Sinead from Pre Nursing
2012 Student Updates
Placement of 5 students in Nursing in Trinity College Dublin
Placement of 3 sudents in Nursing courses in colleges in Scotland
Placement for 3 students in I.T. Carlow- 1 Social Studies & 2 Pharmaceutical studies
Placement of 1 student in N.C.I for a Business course
Our 2012/2013 Plc session is going from strength to strength. Take a look at the updates from our coordinator and current Pre-Nursing students.
- Coordinators note
- Pre-Nursing Overview 2012/2013
- Guest Speakers
- DCU Trip
- Work Experience
- April 2013
May 2013
Class Photo
April 2013
Friday 19th April
video clip 19/04/2013
Disability Awareness Day -St. Conleth’s Community College
On Friday last the Pre Nursing group participated in a ‘Disability Awareness Day’ where they all took on a disability for the day and were set tasks to carry out.
The disabilities included 1) Loss of sight, 2) Loss of Hearing 3) Loss of movement in lower limbs.
The tasks included: - Students used the college facilities and also the local facilities in Newbridge. They visited local shops and used their facilities such as check outs and fitting rooms. They also visited many of the local restaurants, the post office, the parish centre and the train station.
The overall reaction of the group was very positive. They were able to experience firsthand the many feelings/experiences that people with disabilities must feel every day of their lives. On completion of the task we had a feedback session where the students were able to share their experiences with the rest of the group. The main themes that emerged were:-
Frustration at not being able to access certain facilities
Feelings of isolation/loneliness
Being patronised by others
Loss of independence
Physical /mental exhaustion from being confined to a wheelchair
Lack of facilities in certain areas
All of the students expressed how they were grateful for this experience as being the carers of the future it is very important to be able to empathise with your clients and how better to do it than to experience even if only for a short time what it is like to sit a while in their chair.
In the afternoon the group were joined by Gillian Goulding and members of the Irish Wheelchair Association Athy branch. This proved to be an excellent afternoon. The students had recorded their experience on video and showed it to the guests who were able to share their own individual experiences with the students.
The afternoon went very well with some of the students baking cakes for the occasion. It ended with one of the students Catriona Mc Closkey presenting Ms Goulding with a cheque following our ‘Have a Heart for Charity’ day the previous week.
Georgina Finnegan
Check out what’s happening with the pre nurses in the coming weeks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday 12th April
Have your Blood pressure checked by our Pre- Nursing students in aid of two great causes, The Irish Heart Foundation and The Irish Wheelchair Association Athy Branch.
Why not come along and get your BP checked and have a chat with the group about your heart health while also finding out what the course entails.
St Conleths Community College - 8am-1pm
Light Refreshments Afterwards
Suggested donation of €2 per person
Friday 19th April
The pre nurses in conjunction with Irish Wheelchair association Athy Branch will be having a disability awareness day. This will involve the students taking on a disability for the day. The day is organised with the help of everyone in the Athy Branch of IWA. The staff and members will join us in the afternoon for an informal discussion on the morning assimilations and on what it is like to live on a day to day basis with a disability.
Format of the day: The students will assimilate having a disability and will be given an agenda for the day where they will have certain tasks to carry out around the town using the local amenities. The aim of this exercise is to allow the students to experience what it is like to live with a disability. This exercise has proven very successful in the past as it is very different learning about what it is like to care for people with disabilities in the classroom than to actually experience it for yourself.
Work Experience
On the 28th January the pre nursing students finally got to begin their work placements. They had been preparing for this since October when they began by preparing their CV’s and applying to many health care settings in the hope of gaining practical experience while also working alongside professional health care teams.
The students were very nervous prior to their placements as it is much easier to talk about how to treat a patient or to assist them with their activities of daily living than it is to actually put all that theory into practise.
However we are pleased to announce that when the pre nursing tutors went out to visit the students and to meet the Clinical Nurse Managers the feedback was excellent. Every facility reported professional behaviour, eagerness to learn and an ability to fit in comfortably with the varied professional multi disciplinary teams. All of the facilities invited our prospective students for 2013/2014 for work experience as they were so pleased with the behaviour and ability of our 2012 team.
The students reported that they were made very welcome and allowed to practise their skills under professional supervision.
There were too many facilities used to mention here but the students did not only stay local but went far and wide to obtain their experience. Naas Hospital, Crumlin Hospital, Portlaoise Hospital, and many of the local Nursing Homes and Care centres were among the many establishments available to us.This was also the first year that our Pre Nursing students got an opportunity to work in areas of Mental Health. All of this is very valuable experience and it has allowed the group to make decisions regarding the area of nursing that most suits them.
We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the students for their excellent and professional performance while on placement and also to thank all of the Directors of Nursing that allowed them to join their teams for a short while as without the support of all the hospitals and care centres this course would not be possible.
DCU Trip
On the 18th January over 25 of the pre nurses went on a day trip to the Nursing Faculty in Dublin City University. We were invited there by Evelyn Kelleher the head of department. The day began with coffee and buns, followed by a very interesting lecture from Evelyn on an overview of the Nursing Department. This talk included many aspects of studying nursing in DCU including many of the teaching methods used on the course which cleared up a lot of issues for all the students. This was followed by a tour of the department where we were met by the clinical nurse tutors who spent a considerable amount of time demonstrating the many learning opportunities and we all got a chance to practice our skills on the ‘patients’ (mannequins). We even got to prove to Georgina that our hand washing techniques were perfect as there was a machine to show up areas commonly missed in the interest of infection prevention and we all scored 100%! J.
The entire group really enjoyed the day and it instilled in all of us the desire to keep striving for our goal of a third level course next year and ultimately a career in nursing. We wish to thank the Nursing Faculty at DCU for this special opportunity and hope that next year’s students enjoy it as much as we did.
Ann Marie and Grace
Coordinators note
It is hard to believe another year is well underway. This year we have well over forty Pre Nursing students.
It is our hope that this year we will offer the reader of this website an ongoing view of the year as it unfolds.
At the moment the students are busy with assignments and preparing for their work experience placements. Just last week they all received their Pre Nursing Practical Packs which will enable them to practice skills such as monitoring blood pressures and checking oxygen saturation levels. Many of them have secured places in large teaching hospitals where no doubt they will gain tremendous experience that will stand to them in their future careers.
This month we are happy to include a piece from one student who echoes the thoughts of her many pre nursing colleagues when she details her thoughts of the course to date.
We also include a student account of our first guest speakers who came from Trinity College to inform the group on Mental Health Nursing.
Regards from the Pre Nursing Team
Pre-Nursing Overview 2012/2013
Being a Pre-Nursing student in St Conleths community college is a privilege and a wonderful opportunity for progression to third level education. On this course a nursing student has much to learn in a relatively short period of time so it is important that you attend classes in order to take in the knowledge provided by the experienced tutors.
Yes it can be hard and you may be feeling nervous and worried of what is to come, let me reassure you that over the next few months what you are about to learn will be worth it, you will acquire valuable memories and skills that will help you progress and will stay with you throughout your nursing career.
To date we are in our third month of the course and we have covered many interesting and important skills such as patient handling, manual handing, bed bath, assisting patients with activities of daily living such as showering and feeding, taking observations such as temperatures, pulse and respirations and charting the results. Next week we go on to taking blood pressures. As well as other key skill such as appropriate washing of hands, the use of Protective personal equipment, bed making, etc.
As a Nursing class we work together as a group in order to practice and demonstrate the skills we are learning. It is great to have such a solid, hard working, enthusiastic group of people to share the experience with and combine everyone’s skill and knowledge to the numerous practical tasks.
I am looking forward to see what the rest of the course has in store.
Regards
Anne Marie from Pre Nursing
Guest Speakers:
Last week we had our first guest speakers. They were the placement officers for Mental Health Nursing from Trinity College. I feel this talk benefited us all greatly. Bernie and Jenny (the speakers) gave us a detailed insight into Mental Illness, causes, treatments and management and also the role of a Nurse trained in Mental Health. Bernie outlined the different aspects of the four year degree course. If any of us had any doubts or queries on following that particular career path they were all cleared up in that two hour talk. For many of us it may have encouraged us to change the area of nursing that we will apply for when filling in our CAO forms (which is our next job!) Overall it was a worthwhile experience as it cleared up many myths about Mental Health Nursing and gave us an insight into what happens at degree level.
We look forward to our next guest speaker which is the Chair person of the Kildare Alzheimers society followed by a Nurse specialist in Palliative care.
Regards
Sinead from Pre Nursing
Pre Nursing 2012/2013
Our 2012/2013 Plc session is going from strength to strength. Take a look at the updates from our coordinator and current Pre-Nursing students.
- Coordinators note
- Pre-Nursing Overview 2012/2013
- Guest Speakers
It is hard to believe another year is well underway. This year we have well over forty Pre Nursing students.
It is our hope that this year we will offer the reader of this website an ongoing view of the year as it unfolds.
At the moment the students are busy with assignments and preparing for their work experience placements. Just last week they all received their Pre Nursing Practical Packs which will enable them to practice skills such as monitoring blood pressures and checking oxygen saturation levels. Many of them have secured places in large teaching hospitals where no doubt they will gain tremendous experience that will stand to them in their future careers.
This month we are happy to include a piece from one student who echoes the thoughts of her many pre nursing colleagues when she details her thoughts of the course to date.
We also include a student account of our first guest speakers who came from Trinity College to inform the group on Mental Health Nursing.
Regards from the Pre Nursing Team
Pre-Nursing Overview 2012/2013
Being a Pre-Nursing student in St Conleths community college is a privilege and a wonderful opportunity for progression to third level education. On this course a nursing student has much to learn in a relatively short period of time so it is important that you attend classes in order to take in the knowledge provided by the experienced tutors.
Yes it can be hard and you may be feeling nervous and worried of what is to come, let me reassure you that over the next few months what you are about to learn will be worth it, you will acquire valuable memories and skills that will help you progress and will stay with you throughout your nursing career.
To date we are in our third month of the course and we have covered many interesting and important skills such as patient handling, manual handing, bed bath, assisting patients with activities of daily living such as showering and feeding, taking observations such as temperatures, pulse and respirations and charting the results. Next week we go on to taking blood pressures. As well as other key skill such as appropriate washing of hands, the use of Protective personal equipment, bed making, etc.
As a Nursing class we work together as a group in order to practice and demonstrate the skills we are learning. It is great to have such a solid, hard working, enthusiastic group of people to share the experience with and combine everyone’s skill and knowledge to the numerous practical tasks.
I am looking forward to see what the rest of the course has in store.
Regards
Anne Marie from Pre Nursing
Guest Speakers:
Last week we had our first guest speakers. They were the placement officers for Mental Health Nursing from Trinity College. I feel this talk benefited us all greatly. Bernie and Jenny (the speakers) gave us a detailed insight into Mental Illness, causes, treatments and management and also the role of a Nurse trained in Mental Health. Bernie outlined the different aspects of the four year degree course. If any of us had any doubts or queries on following that particular career path they were all cleared up in that two hour talk. For many of us it may have encouraged us to change the area of nursing that we will apply for when filling in our CAO forms (which is our next job!) Overall it was a worthwhile experience as it cleared up many myths about Mental Health Nursing and gave us an insight into what happens at degree level.
We look forward to our next guest speaker which is the Chair person of the Kildare Alzheimers society followed by a Nurse specialist in Palliative care.
Regards
Sinead from Pre Nursing
2012 Student Updates
Placement of 5 students in Nursing in Trinity College Dublin
Placement of 3 sudents in Nursing courses in colleges in Scotland
Placement for 3 students in I.T. Carlow- 1 Social Studies & 2 Pharmaceutical studies
Placement of 1 student in N.C.I for a Business course

Pre Nursing Student Catriona McCloskey presenting Irish Wheelchair coordinator Gillian Goulding Athy Branch