Nursing (Intellectual Disability)
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Nurses play a critical role in society: they help individuals achieve, maintain or regain the best possible health, and at other times, they provide comfort, support and dignity in times of illness or death. They often work in conjunction with families, groups or the larger community.
In addition to professionalism, a nurse must practice with intelligence, compassion and enthusiasm.
DCU’s BSc in Nursing (Intellectual Disability) programme employs a combination of academic and practical learning to instill you with competence in clinical, theoretical, ethical, intercultural and cross-disciplinary knowledge. You’ll focus on the fundamental issues in nursing practice, and integrate these with aspects of psychology, sociology, philosophy, law, pharmacology and microbiology. You’ll also have a chance to put your new skills to practice under the guidance of registered nurses in a real-world work environment.
This nursing specialty will help you understand how to help people with intellectual disabilities achieve their full potential, in a variety of settings, and in collaboration with their families, other professionals, and care facilities.
The BSc in Nursing provides you with the pre-registration education you’ll need to qualify with one of the following awards:
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BSc in Nursing (General)
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BSc in Nursing (Children’s and General)
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BSc in Nursing (Intellectual Disability)
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BSc in Nursing (Mental Health)
You’ll also be eligible for professional registration with Bord Altranais agus Cnáimhseachais na hÉireann (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
In Years Two and Three you’ll undertake specialist modules relating to your chosen nursing discipline.
Each year you’ll have the opportunity to practice nursing in the clinical setting. These are called ‘practice placements’. During Years Three and Four you’ll spend longer periods on these practice placements.
In Year Four you’ll participate in a 36-week internship with local health service providers, gaining further practice-based learning and also taking formal assessments of practice competencies.
Garda vetting is a requirement for all nursing students, who throughout their training have supervised access to vulnerable population groups. Applicants must successfully pass the Garda vetting process in order to complete the process of registration on the BSc in Nursing.
View the current course structure
For more information on every aspect of studying at DCU visit our CAO Hub, where you can listen to taster lectures, hear from our student ambassadors and find answers to frequently asked questions.
We have a unique and vibrant culture on our modern campus close to Dublin city centre. We provide state-of-the-art study facilities for all our courses and everything else you need for a healthy, fun and active student life.
We have three academic campuses close to Dublin City centre - they are located in Glasnevin and Drumcondra, and can be reached by public transport (Dublin Bus).
Each campus has libraries, study spaces, restaurants, and on-campus residencies. Sports facilities are located on two of the academic campuses. We also have a dedicated sports campus in the form of St Claire’s.
Exceptional facilities
DCU students have access to exceptional teaching and learning facilities across our three academic campuses.
These include modern learning theatres, research centres, new media and TV studio, radio/podcast studios, classrooms, computer suites and advanced labs in the areas of languages, engineering, physics, chemistry and biotechnology, as well as a sports performance centre and training hospital ward. In 2021, we opened our first virtual reality ‘Leadership Lab’, which is located in our Business School.
Construction on our FutureTech building on the Glasnevin campus will get underway in 2022. Once completed, this facility will advance DCU’s international reputation for excellence in science and health, computing and engineering disciplines. It will have the capacity to accommodate an additional 3,000 STEM students on the university’s Glasnevin campus.
Campus life
DCU student facilities boast a fully equipped sports complex with a 25-metre pool, three libraries and The Helix, our renowned performing arts centre.
Our purpose built, state-of-the-art new student centre known as 'The U' serves the needs of a rapidly growing student body of 18,500. It is home to the Student Leadership and Lifeskills Centre, performing arts and cultural spaces for students and the wider community, and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub.
DCU Students' Union and the Office of Student Life are also based in the U. The centre is a space for students where they can meet, with lots of charging points and isolation booths. Clubs and socs avail of meeting rooms here and it's also home to DCUFM. NuBar, Londis and the Venue are also located here.
There are more than 140 clubs and societies for students in DCU, with ‘Clubs & Socs’ days taking place on both the Glasnevin and Drumcondra campuses at the start of the academic year.
Student Supports
We have a number of academic, professional and social supports for students.
Student Advice Centre: Offers a wide range of supports and services to students and advice
The Writing Centre - drop-in writing workshops for students through the academic year
Maths Learning Centre - provides maths support for students of all ability levels with maths modules
Student Learning: facilitate the transition from passive to active learning for students at DCU, by teaching study skills, nurturing critical thinking and building student confidence.
Careers work with students to help them on their professional journey into graduate employment.
Our student support team offers a comprehensive support programme, helping students make that all important transition into university life and focusing on building confidence and skills which are key to success at third level.
As a mature student, undertaking this course of study was a difficult decision to make. Having almost completed my first year, I have no doubts in my mind that I took the right decision and the right nursing pathway. So far, it has been a wonderful experience all the way through and if I had to choose again, I would choose to study Nursing. If you have a caring nature, it's the right course for you.
Arinola Esther Ajetunmobi, BSc In Nursing (Intellectual Disability)
Upon graduation, your internationally recognised degree will qualify you to work as an Intellectual Disability Nurse both at home and abroad.
You’ll also be eligible for professional registration with Bord Altranais agus Cnáimhseachais na hÉireann (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
You’ll find work opportunities in the community, schools, general practice, occupational health, and traditional hospitals and care facilities. Career pathways also exist in clinical practice, management, education and research.
Requirements
In addition to the general entry requirements for admission to the university the following entry requirements apply
Minimum of O6 or H7 in Mathematics and minimum of O6 or H7 in one of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics with Chemistry or Agricultural Science
In addition to the general entry requirements for admission to the university the following entry requirements apply
GCE A Level D or GCE AS Level D or GCSE C Mathematics and GCE A Level D or GCE AS Level D or GCSE C in one of Physics, Chemistry , Biology, Physics with Chemistry or Agricultural Science
For details of QQI requirements and relevant codes please click here. Simply enter the DC code for the programme you are interested in or if you are not sure of the code enter DC in the Select by Institution option, then click on Go
Applications for entry to first-year Nursing are welcomed from students who wish to transfer from another Level 8 course, providing they have achieved the requisite points, fulfil the requirements of the course and there are clinical placements available. Please apply through the CAO for Undergraduate Entry.
International candidates are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to those outlined above. In addition, where such candidates are non-native speakers of the English language they must satisfy the university of their competency in the English language. For further information on international applications click here