UCD and UCC to offer free course to nurses to help battle coronavirus

Both universities are now offering an accelerated online course in intensive care treatment

University College Dublin (UCD) and University College Cork (UCC) have announced that they are to provide a free course in intensive care treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic, to allow more nurses to treat those infected with the virus.

The National Foundation module in Critical Nursing is aimed at allowing more nurses to provide critical intensive care to patients suffering from Covid-19 or other illnesses in hospital. It is an online accelerated course.

In China and Italy, an estimated 5% – 12% of patients who became infected with Covid-19 required intensive care.

The new course offered by UCD and UCC nursing has been established by the universities in association with the Health Service Executive and the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director, to provide assistance and support for registered nurses to safely and effectively provide care to critically ill patients.

Professor Josephine Hegarty, Head of UCC’s School of Nursing and Midwifery said: “The easy and rapid access to this education will increase the number of nurses available to provide critical care to patients with Covid-19 as well as to other patients who require intensive care.”

“This module will facilitate nurses to develop high-level skills in caring for patients who are critically ill and help them to work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals in intensive care settings,” she added.

She also stated that the module “will facilitate nurses to provide the high levels of support to patients and families during their period of critical care”.

In the first two weeks of Italy’s outbreak, an estimated 16% of patients needed intensive care which requires specialist nursing, medical and allied health care teams. Of those who have needed intensive care due to Covid-19, most have been elderly or have an underlying condition, such as respiratory or heart problems.

Shannon Connolly

Shannon Connolly is the Editor-in-Chief of the 69th volume Trinity News, and a Senior Sophister student of English Literature and Philosophy. She previously served as Deputy Editor, News Editor and Assistant News Editor.