Nursing - Mental Health Nursing - Advanced Entry - Kerry
The aim of mental health nursing is to promote mental health and wellness, to plan with, support and provide nursing care to people who suffer from mental illness and mental distress, and to support families and communities in dealing with mental health challenges. This care can be provided in acute care facilities such as hospitals, in peoples own homes and community care settings. Supporting on-going mental health recovery is an important role of being a mental health nurse.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | Munster Technological University |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | Munster Technological University | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
An Advanced Entry application can be used by an applicant to apply for entry to year 2, 3 or 4 of a relevant course.
NOTE: Vetting by an Garda Síochána is a mandatory requirement for this programme.
Entry Requirements
To make an Advanced Entry Application you must be currently completing, or have successfully completed, a minimum of one year of study at Level 6, 7 or 8 in a Higher Education Institution (HEI) or an equivalent.
Careers / Further progression
Career Options
There are many opportunities available to newly qualified mental health nurses after completing the BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Nursing.
Mental health nurses work with individuals across the lifespan from children and adolescents, to adults and older people. They engage with these individuals in a wide variety of clinical settings such as acute psychiatric admission units, day hospitals, and day centres as well as community residential settings and individuals 'own homes.
Many employment opportunities exist nationally but also abroad where the nursing degree is recognized in countries around the world. Former Munster Technological University students have gained employment across Europe and in America, Canada, Australia, Africa, Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern countries.
Registered mental health nurses can develop career pathways in a number of ways such as:
• Clinical practice: Specializing in a wide range of clinical practice areas such as forensic psychiatry, community mental health nursing, child and adolescent mental health, older age psychiatry, drug and alcohol services, crisis intervention and psychosocial intervention, counselling services, prison service working with offenders, registered nurse prescribers. Additionally, there is opportunity for progression to clinical nurse specialist and advanced nurse practitioner Level.
• Management: Progression in nursing and healthcare management structures.
• Education: Progression to academic positions in nursing across the third level/university sector.
• Research: Joining the fast-developing field of nursing and healthcare research.
Further Studies
Suitably qualified level 8 honours graduates are eligible to progress to:
• Master of Science in Nursing
• Master of Science in Professional Nursing
• Master of Science in Advanced Practice Nursing
at MTU Kerry Campus or to research at either master or PhD level.
Further information
The 2026 Application Form will be open for Advanced Entry applications on the 5th November (12:00)
Advanced Entry
The Central Applications Office processes applications for years 2, 3 and 4 of undergraduate courses in Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This entry route is known as Advanced Entry. Applicants must have relevant Higher or Further Education or an equivalent to be considered for the Advanced Entry route. Decisions on admissions to advanced entry courses, (years 2, 3 or 4), are made by the HEIs who instruct CAO to make offers to successful candidates.
Please ensure that you have included all relevant information that might help the HEIs assess your application including:
Transcripts from previous Higher Education
Copies of FETAC L6 and other awards
A CV with information about relevant previous experience with references
A statement of interest
All supporting documentation must be supplied to CAO. You can upload or post your documents - do not do both. Instructions for uploading documents can be found at cao.ie/upload. If you choose to post documents to CAO, you must include a cover sheet - please see cao.ie/post for guidance. Failure to supply CAO with supporting documentation may result in your application being rejected by the HEI.
Applicants presenting Leaving Certificate and/or Level 5 FETAC awards, should apply to year 1 course codes only.
Applications will not be assessed until spring 2026 at the earliest.
Offers
Offers can be made to successful applicants at any stage in the application process and all decisions on admissions are made by the Admissions Office of the relevant institution. Offers will be made by e-mail only and all acceptances must be made online via www.cao.ie by the deadline.
An Advanced Entry applicant has 14 days to accept an Advanced Entry Offer and can, if deemed eligible, receive an offer for all of the Advanced Entry courses that they have applied for.
Advanced Entry applicants can accept multiple courses but only the last acceptance at the closing date for acceptances will be recorded as the accepted course.
Overview
The aim of mental health nursing is to promote mental health and wellness, to plan with, support and provide nursing care to people who suffer from mental illness and mental distress, and to support families and communities in dealing with mental health challenges. This care can be provided in acute care facilities such as hospitals, in peoples own homes and community care settings. Supporting on-going mental health recovery is an important role of being a mental health nurse.
Our graduates work with individuals, families and communities to prevent mental health problems so that as many people as possible can live full lives in community settings. At the heart of the role of the mental health nurse is the ability to establish therapeutic relationships with individuals and their families.
The course consists of 76 weeks of classroom- based theory and practical learning, interspersed with 81 weeks of clinical placements. A 36-week continuous rostered clinical placement is also included. This can take place either locally or internationally and encompasses a very broad range of clinical settings, including acute mental health, care of the older person, specialist care, adult general nursing and working with voluntary and statutory bodies. When you complete this course, you will be eligible to have your name entered into the Psychiatric Division of the Register of Nurses maintained by Bord Altranais agus Cnáimhseachais na hÉireann.
Our nursing programmes are taught in the purpose-built Sólás building at the MTU Kerry North Campus. This state-of-the-art facility has technology enhanced classrooms, lecture halls, practical skills laboratories and computer suites. Our partnership with the HSE offers students a wide range of exciting clinical placement facilities across counties Kerry, Cork and beyond. Throughout this programme, you will get great support from the University and from clinical staff, both in the classroom and on placement. ERASMUS opportunities are available for students studying mental health nursing at MTU.
What will I study?
First Year at a Glance:
• Professionalism in Nursing Practice: fundamental interpersonal, legal, ethical and regulatory dimensions of professional nursing practice
• Health and Wellbeing: provides a broad understanding of nursing and healthcare for both individual and population groups
• Skills for Safe Practice: fundamental knowledge and skills of nursing within the parameters of a safety culture in both general and mental healthcare settings
• Developing Competency in Mental Health Nursing Practice: encourages active engagement in evidence-based nursing practice
• Principles of Mental Health Nursing Care: introduces human anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology in conjunction with the evidence-based theory underpinning the nursing care and management of a person, from admission to discharge
• Caring in Context: introduces caring in the context of primary, secondary, and tertiary health care settings
• The Sociology and Psychology of Health and Illness: students develop an introductory knowledge of sociology and psychology as they apply to studies of health and wellness
Dr Gerardina Harnett
T: +353 (0)66 719 1695
E: geradina.harnett@mtu.ie