May 2015 NUI Galway and Bon Secours Hospital Galway join forces for Medical Student Training

Bon Secours Hospital Galway announce affiliation with National University of Ireland, Galway

Bon Secours Hospital Galway have today announced that they will now be recognised as an affiliated teaching hospital of NUI Galway following an agreement between the two institutions.

The Memorandum of Understanding will mean that NUI Galway will now offer clinical placement opportunities to final year Medical Students in Bon Secours Hospital as part of their final year Training Programme. Student nurses from NUI Galway already fulfil part of their degree course training in Bon Secours Hospital.

Mr. Gerry Burke, Chief Executive Officer, Bon Secours Galway stated “We are delighted to announce that Bon Secours Galway is now an affiliated teaching hospital of NUI Galway. It is an honour to be recognised as a teaching hospital of the College and our dedicated Consultants and staff will now have an opportunity to pass on their skills and help develop the medical professionals of the future.

The Dean of the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Professor Timothy O’Brien, highlights the significance of this partnership to the University. “The College is enthusiastic about integrating more from an educational and research perspective with public and private healthcare providers within our region, consistent with the strategic plan of NUI Galway.  The partnership with Bon Secours Galway will provide our medical and nursing students with excellent exposure to clinical practice in the private hospital setting and also greatly facilitates enhanced educational and research opportunities across both organisations.” 

Mr. John McCabe, Bon Secours Medical Director commented: “As an NUI Galway graduate myself and as the Medical Director of Bon Secours, Galway I am thrilled to see this valuable partnership come together. NUI Galway students will now work closely with the exceptional team of Consultants and staff at the hospital as part of their training. We are committed to offering students from NUI Galway the highest standard of education and training support in our state-of-the-art facilities.”

This partnership also offers development opportunities to hospital staff with NUI Galway making teaching and learning opportunities available to hospital staff from time to time to support them in providing clinical education of the highest standard to students of NUI Galway College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.”

The medical curriculum at NUI Galway is a five-year programme with an annual intake of approximately 180 students.  The curriculum is innovative and integrates the life sciences with clinical practice, provides for early patient exposure, immersion in a variety of clinical environments and, from the 2015/16 academic year onwards, will also be emphasising intern preparedness to a greater extent.

For more information on NUI Galway please visit www.nuigalway.ie/medicine/ or for more information on Bon Secours Hospital, Galway please see www.bonsecours.ie/galway.

ENDS