DkIT Mental Health and Intellectual Nursing students, pictured with Sinead Creane, Head of HR, Highfield Healthcare and Colum Bracken, Director of Nursing, Mental Health Services, Highfield Healthcare

Students pictured with representatives from the HSE who exhibited at the Careers Fair

Fundraising activities included a bake sale full of delicious treats prepared by the students

DkIT 4th year student nurses Emma Maguire, Sinead Sheehy, Lara Cummins, Lisa Moran and Elaine Flanagan presenting a cheque to Paula Dowdall of the Maria Goretti Foundation

Yvonne Carr and Laura Magennis of Dundalk Simon Community, receiving their cheque from Emma Farrelly, Colm Kearney and Cara Robinson, with DkIT lecturers John McDonald, Myles Hackett and Edel Healy

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The fundraising events formed part of a management project assigned to the 4th year students, involving the requirement for students to organise a careers day and a charity fundraiser. 

This project has evolved over the past 4 years and each year the creative contribution from the students is immense. Each group has a task divided into arranging guest speakers, potential employers and information stalls that promote positive mental health and an insight into the role of the Intellectual disability nurse.

40 students from across both courses organised the Careers Fair in response to the growing demand for nurses across the region and to provide the opportunity for DkIT students and their peers to meet and discuss future employment opportunities. Pre-Nursing students from both Ó Fiaich Institute of Further Education and Drogheda Institute of Further Education also attended to benefit from the opportunity to meet with future employers, as well as meet with DkIT Nursing lecturers and students to explore further study within Nursing at DkIT.

The event brought employers and students together to exhibit and showcase both future employment opportunities as well as topical issues within both intellectual and mental health nursing, including exhibits focusing on mental health issues, eating disorders, gambling and transgender issues, to name but a few.

Companies including The Red Door Project, Highfield Healthcare and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) also delivered a series of talks to students from DkIT, Ó Fiaich Institute and Drogheda Institute, focusing on the key issues within nursing today and the huge demand for qualified nurses across the region.

Speaking at the Careers Fair, DkIT Lecturer John McDonald commented:

It is wonderful to see so many employers join us today to meet with and speak to our 4th year students from both the Intellectual Disability and Mental Health Nursing programmes here at DkIT. Qualified nurses across both programmes, as well as from our BSc (Hons) General Nursing and Midwifery courses are in high demand across the North Leinster-South Ulster region, due both to the high calibre and versatility of our graduates.
Students from our nursing courses go on to secure employment within many different career pathways and it is encouraging to see that the demand for our students continues to grow.”

The Maria Goretti Foundation fundraising group consisted of Sinead Sheehy, Lisa Moran, Elaine Flanagan, Emma Maguire and Lara Cummins. Their efforts through a Bumper Raffle were aided by all their class mates.

The Simon Community fundraising group included Emma Farrelly, Colm Kearney and Cara Robinson. Their classmates and themselves organised a collection in Ridleys, a Go Fund Me page, a cake sale and a raffle.

On behalf of their lecturers John McDonald and Alvin McEvoy, congratulations to both groups for all their efforts and the funds raised will contribute to more excellent services being provided within the North East .