26 September 2019
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Nurses Graduation at University Hospital Waterford. Pictured are Lauren McGrath Cork, Eimear Fitzpatrick Kilkenny, Meg Fitzgerald Cork, Mairead McSweeney Cork and Laura Clarke Tipperary. Picture: Patrick Browne
Nurses Graduation at University Hospital Waterford. Pictured are Lauren McGrath Cork, Eimear Fitzpatrick Kilkenny and Meg Fitzgerald Cork. Picture: Patrick Browne
University Hospital Waterford hosted a celebration ceremony for the Waterford Institute of Technology General Nursing class of 2019 this week (25th September). To mark the end of their training and placements in the various hospitals and healthcare facilities across the HSE South East Area, the Hospital held its 13th annual General Nursing Student Celebration Ceremony. This included a certificate presentation to each of WIT’s 45 General Nursing students.
The ecumenical service, which has been celebrated for more than 38 years, was held in the Hospital Chapel and included a blessing of hands by members of the clergy present. The service, attended by parents and friends of those being celebrated, was also attended by Ms. Cathriona Greene, Specialist Coordinator – Nurse Tutor, Regional Centre of Nursing & Midwifery Education, Education Centre, University Hospital Waterford, who also acted as guest speaker on the afternoon.
Interim Director of Nursing at University Hospital Waterford, Orla Kavanagh said: “University Hospital Waterford is delighted to host this celebration ceremony for WIT’s nursing students. The ceremony has had a long tradition of being held here in the hospital church, in what is a very special and memorable occasion for the newly qualified nurses, their families, friends and those that supported them throughout their four year degree training programme. We would like to extend our congratulations to this group of newly qualified nurses and wish them well for their future careers.”
All the WIT general nursing graduates have undertaken four years of training and for nine months were on placement across hospitals in the South East including University Hospital Waterford, St. Patrick’s Hospital, South Tipperary General Hospital, Wexford General Hospital, Kilcreene Orthopaedic Hospital, Whitfield Clinic, Aut Even Hospital and St. Luke’s General Hospital Kilkenny.
The General Nursing students joined their fellow colleagues from the Psychiatric and Intellectual Disability groups at their Graduation Ball, taking place at the Woodlands Hotel, Waterford, later that evening.
