On International Nurses' Day we are recognising that nurses are critical to providing expert care for patients in all stages of life.
The theme of International Nurses' Day is 'Our Nurses, Our Future'. Our researchers are equipping nurses, both present and future, with the knowledge, skills and best practice to improve patient care for all our loved ones and wider society.
Prof. Vivien Coates
Professor Nursing Practice Research
Providing Care for All
Nurses are critically important if the goal of providing care to all is to be achieved. Nurses contribute to all aspects of health and well-being, from promoting good health at a community level to caring for the most vulnerable and unwell in society. From the beginning nurses must have a firm evidence-based foundation for practice and once qualified they can channel their skills and expertise in so many different directions. Nurses hold a privileged place in society as they have the potential to enhance lives.
Research that supports the Future of Nursing
Diabetes and menopause are both regulated by our endocrine (hormone) systems. Around the time of the peri-menopause, many women have found that their diabetes can be increasingly difficult to manage and yet there is little advice available to them.
We have just embarked on a new research project funded by Diabetes UK and will be exploring the experiences of women with either Type 1, or Type 2 diabetes who are peri-menopausal or menopausal. We will compare their experiences with those of women who do not have diagnosed diabetes and then we will be looking for ways in which we can improve the health services available to them.
This has been an overlooked topic in health care for too long - almost a taboo subject for some and yet so many women are affected. We plan to do something about that!
Prof. Assumpta Ryan
Professor of Ageing and Health
Providing Care for All
Nursing is an integral part of all healthcare services, and there is a large body of evidence on the significant and enduring impact of nurses on health outcomes globally. Nursing continues to evolve with today’s nurses undertaking new roles including specialist and advanced practice in response to the increasing healthcare needs of the population and the demand for prompt, high-quality, and person-centred care.
Research that supports the Future of Nursing
Some of the frailest and most vulnerable people in society live in care homes, and we know from our research here at Ulster University, that their wellbeing and quality of life can be greatly improved by investing in the people who care for them. This is why we are translating our research into practice through an international leadership support initiative for care home staff called the My Home Life programme.
The programme is funded by the Department of Health and is currently being implemented in care homes all across Northern Ireland in association with our statutory and charitable partners. Our findings to date have shown the very positive impact of the programme on care home staff and, in turn, on people who live in care homes and their families. Our research has also directly influenced the Department of Health’s adult safeguarding policy and its reform of adult care and support.
Prof. Tanya McCance
Mona Grey Professor of Nursing R&D
Providing Care for All
I am passionate about nursing, and the difference I believe nurses make every day across the breadth of our healthcare systems. The impact of quality nursing care positively influences individuals, families, communities and society. Most importantly, nurses are in a privileged position to be caring for patients and their families when they are often at their most vulnerable. I am incredibly proud to be a nurse.
Research that supports the Future of Nursing
My research focuses on the development of person-centred practice and the Person-centred Practice Framework is at the heart of this work. It operationalises person-centredness, moving from a policy position to widespread implementation within the real world of practice, using digitally enhanced approaches for sustainability. Central to my research is the potential to create healthful workplace cultures that prioritise the human experience and places compassion, dignity and humanistic caring principles at the centre of care delivery.
The Future of Nursing
Our research informs what we teach the next generation of nurses. We are equipping future nurses with the knowledge to provide better care for all.
Ulster University has delivered nursing programmes for 45 years, and our courses provide excellence in teaching and research with innovative approaches to learning.
We offer pre-registration programmes in Adult and Mental Health Nursing. Both programmes are approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the United Kingdom, meaning our nursing graduates can register to legally practice in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, significantly increasing their employment opportunities.
Our three-year courses equip students with the knowledge, skills, attitude and values to provide compassionate, respectful, professional and safe care. Theoretical modules and practice learning are integrated in an equal balance so that learning occurs 50% of the time in practice while the other 50% occurs in university. Throughout the course students will learn to deliver practice person-centred, evidence-based nursing care in a compassionate and respectful way that promotes dignity, health and wellbeing.