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St Angelas Transform Nursing to Transform the Patient Experience

Over the past two years, St. Angela’s College, Sligo participated as the Irish partner in an innovative European nursing project called TRaNSforM: ‘Training Requirements and Nursing Skills for Mobility in health care.’ The partnership between seven European countries: Ireland, UK, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Finland and Turkey led to the production of a key resource available for all nurses who are considering mobility or who have moved to Ireland from other countries.

The lecturers from the Department of Nursing, Health Studies and Disability at St Angela’s conducted research with nurses across Ireland, including in Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal and Mayo to inform good nursing practice in relation to mobilising. The same in-depth research was also conducted in the other European countries to create an invaluable resource for all nurses in the EU and beyond.

‘The Irish nursing profession has traditionally participated in mobility in Europe and around the world,’ explains Ms Evelyn McManus, TRaNSforM Project Leader for Ireland and nursing lecturer, ‘The purpose of the TRaNSforM project is not only for nurses to prepare for the differences in health care environments in different European countries, but also to increase cultural competence. This knowledge is beneficial to nurses to ensure they are in a position to continue to provide evidence based care to all patients.’ She notes that the TRaNSforM Web site and resources developed will assist the health care service providers. In particular the site will be a valuable resource to nurses who are considering mobilising to another country and nurses who are mentoring nurses from other countries. The resources will also be very valuable to clinical leaders and management who wish to capitalise on the mobilisation of other health care professions.

The TRaNSforM project focuses on ensuring that all nurses can identify what additional knowledge and  skill base is required to provide the evidence based care to patients within another culture. ‘Patients are central to this project,’ says Ms McManus. She gives the example that if a nurse from another country is going to move to Ireland, he or she can use the TRaNSforM information to understand what knowledge and skills he or she needs to provide expert nursing within Ireland and therefore will be in a better position to know what he or she needs to focus upon prior to coming to Ireland. ‘While the resource is specifically geared toward nurses the resource would also be valuable for other health professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and doctors.’ She adds.

The TRaNSforM project was funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission. The European launch of TraNSforM took place at the European Parliament in Belgium in June. Ms Marian Harkin, MEP will officially launch the TRaNSforM project in Ireland on 5th of October, 2012, 1:30pm at St Angela’s College, Sligo. For more information on the College’s contribution to the TRaNSforM project, visit the College Web site at www.stangelas.nuigalway.ie.

Photo: Irish MEP Ms Marian Harkin (second from left) with Lecturers from the Department of Nursing, Health Sciences and Disability Studies – St Angela’s College, Sligo following a Master Class in Ghent, Belgium (right from left) Ms Lisa Winters O’Donnell, Ms Evelyn McManus, Ms Denise Healy and Ms Edel McSharry. Ms Harkin will be officially launching the TRaNSforM initiative in Ireland on October 5 th at St Angela’s College, Sligo.