Elizabeth named as Fellow of US nurse academy
A BANTEER woman who dreamed of becoming a nurse in her childhood has just reached the pinnacle of her profession by being inducted as a Fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Nursing.
Having started her career in nursing in Cork’s South Infirmary she worked in both CUH and the Bons Secours before moving to Galway University Hospital,
Elizabeth then undertook a PhD which has led her to a completely different type of nursing role. Her doctorate focused on the role of spirituality in healthcare.
“I developed a scale to measure spirituality in patients who are being treated for various illnesses. It’s not religious spirituality but how patients find meaning when they’re ill, how they question and search for meaning.”
Since completing her Doctorate, her nursing career has gone in a different direction, over the past four years.
“My career has migrated into academia and research over the past few years. Right now, I work as Clinical Research Manager for a company called Ion Beam Applications (IBA) in Belgium and I also lecture online for the Masters in nursing programme in University College Cork.”
IBA are a global company with headquarters in Belgium, who manufacture a medical device that delivers proton therapy, an advanced form of radiotherapy, to treat cancer. “My role in IBA is a first for the company so I was tasked with establishing clinical research procedures and processes.
“I am the company expert on clinical research and responsible for ensuring that clinical investigations are carried out safely and according to regulatory requirements.”
Currently at home in Ireland on maternity leave having given birth to a baby daughter in February, Elizabeth and her family will probably be moving to the US in the future.
“My fellowship application focused on my work as founding President of the first honour society of nursing in Ireland, which is a branch of the international nursing honour society, Sigma Theta Tau International; and my scholarly endeavours related to healthcare services and policies.”
She views the invitation to become a Fellow of the American Academy as a huge honour as she becomes only one of five Irish nurses to be accepted into the body.
“It is a huge honour to become part of such a prestigious group of nurse leaders.
“I am essentially joining a community of esteemed nurse leaders who are all striving towards a common goal - to serve the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy, practice and science through organisational excellence and effective nursing leadership.”