Forty-three graduates of the National University of Ireland Galway yesterday became the first full-time students to gain a Bachelor of Nursing degree in the State. The four-year course was run in conjunction with the Western Health Board. The students have already successfully completed the diploma element of the course and are registered with An Bord Altranais.
The NUIG president, Dr Patrick Fottrell, said yesterday was "a landmark for the university and the nursing profession in Ireland". He endorsed the recent recommendations of the Commission for Nursing on increasing the number of nurses with degrees.
"A degree programme will provide nurses with a level of theoretical underpinning which will allow them to develop their clinical skills to a greater extent and to respond to future challenges in health care," he said.