Mental Health Practice Placements
Practice Placement is a fundamental part of a student's learning experience in becoming a qualified mental health nurse. During your studies, you will participate in practice placements in a variety of healthcare settings gaining real-world experience and honing your skills. Mental Health Nursing students at UCD will have the opportunity to obtain placements at some of our associated healthcare providers including those listed below.
Practice Placement is a fundamental part of a student's learning experience in becoming a qualified mental health nurse. During your studies, you will participate in practice placements in a variety of healthcare settings gaining real-world experience and honing your skills. Mental Health Nursing students at UCD will have the opportunity to obtain placements at some of our associated healthcare providers including those listed below.
St John of God Hospital
St John of God Hospital in Stillorgan, Dublin, is an independent provider of mental health care and serves as a key clinical placement site for Mental Health Nursing students. As an acute psychiatric teaching hospital with 182 beds, it offers a wide range of specialist inpatient and outpatient services and is affiliated with several leading universities.
The hospital supports student placements across a number of specialist areas, including the Eating Disorder Recovery Centre, the Psychosis Programme, and the Ginesa Suite, which provides care for young people experiencing mental health difficulties. These placements offer students the opportunity to work within multidisciplinary teams, experience patient-centred care in action, and build confidence in clinical practice. Students may also gain valuable experience through placements in partner community-based services, including Cluire Mhuire (Community Mental Health Services) Lucena Clinic (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), The Marlay Nursing Home (Care of the Older Person), St Joseph’s Centre, Shankill (Dementia Care), St Michael’s House (Intellectual Disabilities), Kilcoole Lodge Nursing Home (Care of the Older Adult), the National Eating Disorder Recovery Centre and The National Forensic Mental Health Service. The values of Hospitality, Compassion, and Respect guide all aspects of care, education, and professional development at the hospital. Students are supported throughout by experienced preceptors and the Nurse Practice Development Unit.
Read more about St John of God Hospitalier Group (opens in a new window)here.
HSE Dublin South and Wicklow
HSE Dublin South and Wicklow is one of three integrated healthcare areas within the Dublin and South East region, providing population-based services across primary care, mental health, older persons, disabilities, and wellbeing.
HSE Dublin South and Wicklow places a strong emphasis on delivering integrated healthcare solutions to help communities and individuals maintain and improve their health and social wellbeing. Mental health services are pivotal to this goal. Mental health includes specialised secondary care services for children and adolescents, adults, older persons, those with an intellectual disability and mental illness, as well as a range of mental health promotion initiatives provided by the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP). Services are provided in several different community and inpatient settings in South Dublin and Wicklow, including the service user’s own home, day hospitals, and acute inpatient units located in St Vincent’s University Hospital (Elm Park, Dublin 4) and Newcastle Hospital in Wicklow.
Students of the UCD BSc and Higher Diploma Mental Health Nursing gain diverse clinical experience working alongside Registered Psychiatric Nurses who are members of multidisciplinary teams in settings such as acute inpatients, Day Hospitals, Community Mental Health teams, Rehab and Recovery teams, Liaison Psychiatry, Mental Health for Older Persons and more.