The recent Nursing and Midwifery Careers Day was another resounding success. This event, hosted by the Department of Nursing & Midwifery in conjunction with the DkIT Careers & Employability Centre, was energetic and engaging and a true showcase of the variety of careers available to out General, ID, Mental Health Nurses and Midwifery students.

Students were provided with an information-filled day of career advice, employer insights, job opportunities and alumni talks. The day was provided for final year students as a protected time away from their heavy academic workloads and an opportunity to explore their personal career path and consider the wide range of opportunities available to them, and how to best prepare for their future as Nursing and Midwifery graduates.

The day was made up of 4 distinct sessions and commenced with a Careers Workshop delivered by Servisource focusing on CVs and Competency Based Interviews. This was followed by Discipline Specific seminars with employers, recent graduates and research students in the field. In the afternoon, the Nursing & Midwifery Planning & Development Unit of the HSE, delivered an insightful session of Career Development within the HSE and the day culminated in a Careers Fair with Employers for each discipline.

With employer representatives from across the four disciplines General Nursing, Intellectual Disability Nursing, Mental Health Nursing and Midwifery the Muirhevna Building was a hive of activity. Some employers attending on the day included Nursing & Midwifery Planning and Development, HSE Dublin and North East,  Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Critical Care Units OLOL, Cavan General Hospital, Letterkenny Maternity Unit, HSE Public Health Nursing, HSE Disability Services Louth Meath and Cavan Monaghan, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Louth Meath and Cavan Monaghan Mental Health Services, SJOG services, Talbot Group, St. Michaels House, My Life by Estrella, Ashdale Care, Prosper Fingal and Nua Healthcare.

Dr Briege King, Head of Nursing, Midwifery & Early Years, was delighted with the success of the day,

‘The Nursing and Midwifery careers day was an outstanding success.  Throughout the day our students were provided with talks on CV preparation and interview tips as well as being advised on all the opportunities and supports that will be available to them to further education when they are registered nurses and midwives. They met with Nursing and Midwifery graduates of the DkIT clinical experts from a variety of clinical settings as well as representatives from a variety of healthcare providers.  The students were enthused to hear about the opportunities available to them when they complete their studies in DkIT and begin their careers as registered nurses and midwives.’

Briege thanked DkIT Careers and Employability and the Programme Directors Ann Reynolds, Dr. Anita Byrne, Dr. Aine McHugh and Joe Treacy for their leading role in creating the day.

Catherine Staunton, Head of Careers & Employability, was excited to work alongside her colleague Claire Fallon, Employability Advisor to bring a dedicated Careers Day to our Nursing & Midwifery students.

“We know the high esteem that the health service and all health care employers hold our DKIT Nursing & Midwifery graduates, who know them to be professionally competent, self-aware resourceful and patient focused. We have a proud Alumni from the Department, who were represented well on the day. We truly appreciated all employers for the whole-hearted engagement with the event and our final year students.”