Nursing & Midwifery
Linda Ireland
RN
MN (Clinical Education)
Position Lecturer
Campus Orange
Office The Bunker, Room A1.06
Phone (02) 6365 7589
Fax (02) 6365 7568
EMAIL STAFF MEMBER 
General Introduction
My name is Linda Ireland and I am reasonably new to the Central West of NSW. I moved here with my husband and two teenage children just before the Christmas of 2005. My previous school and working life has been in Sydney over the last 35 years, after leaving England (my country of birth) as an infant and travelling around Papua New Guinea during my early childhood.
My background in nursing has been in the area of Critical Care since I graduated from my hospital training in 1986, at Manly District Hospital on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. I have also worked at Sydney’s Royal North Hospital, where I undertook my Intensive Care Certificate in 1987. Later in my career, I practiced in the ICU Unit at the private Mater Hospital in North Sydney.
In 2000, I began both my Masters Degree in Nursing and my Lecturing career at both Sydney University and the Australian Catholic University. Since that time, I have enjoyed sharing my many experiences and extensive nursing knowledge with students embarking on their own careers and paths to professional development. I have shared much, laughed often, learned a great deal and made many new friends along the way.
Currently, I am excited to have been given the opportunity to contribute to the future of rural nursing through my teaching and community participation. I have always been proud to be a nurse and so admire those practice nurses today who continue to strive against nursing shortages, media scrutiny, demanding workloads, lack of resources and isolation, in order to benefit all of those in need of their professional expertise and care.
In addition to this, I feel honoured to be involved in the education of our future nursing workforce, my students, who share with me their joy of learning and their passion for nursing on a daily basis. On this note, I cannot fail to mention my colleagues and friends across the many campuses here at CSU who contribute so much to the future of health care in this region and beyond.
Finally, may I welcome you to the Orange School of Nursing Website? For both current and prospective students, I hope that you will find a sense of pride, great joy, and a feeling of fulfillment and great satisfaction through your studies here with the CSU family. I look forward to sharing your journey, so please do not hesitate to contact me if there is any matter that you would like to discuss, however large or small.
Qualifications
- Registered Nurse
- Intensive Care Certificate
- Master of Nursing (Clinical Education)
Teaching Interests
- Problem Based Learning
- Collaborative Learning
- Mentoring
Research Interests
- Chronic Pain Syndrome
- Aspergers’ Syndrome
- Active Student Learning
- Acute Care Nursing practice
- Rural Nursing
Memberships
- The Nurses and Midwives Board of NSW
- The NSW Diabetes Association - member
- The NSW Institute of Teachers
- The National Tertiary Education Industry Union (Previous)
- ACU Postgraduate Student Representative on General School Committee (Previous)
- ACU Member of International Student Committee (Previous)
- ACU Member of Teaching & Learning Committee ( Previous)
- Member of New Curriculum Development & Writing Committee (Previous)
- Member of NSW Nurses Association (Previous)
- Member of College of Australian Critical Care Nurses (CACCN) (Previous)
Professional Activities
- Fostering partnerships between the university and the community, and between the university and nursing practice facilities
- Development of audiovisual materials for the enhancement of learning.
- Promoting Primary Health Care through voluntary community education, currently through the Country Women’s Association.
Career Highlights
- In partnership with a colleague and a team of students at the Australian Catholic University, we presented the University’s very first International Cultural Festival: A Celebration of Diversity and Culture. The evening involved the production of a concert and other cultural performances, in which students wore traditional costumes and presented performances from their own cultures, including Nepalese dancing, Taiwanese Fan Dancing, a Chinese Choir, a Hawaiian Hula, an East Timorese singer and a PowerPoint presentation: ‘Japan Through the Seasons’. Lecturers also volunteered and provided a performance of ‘swing’ dancing and my colleague and I concealed our identities with costumes and wigs and surprised the students with two ABBA numbers that brought a standing ovation and had students up dancing in the audience. I would have to say that this was one of my most enjoyable and successful teamwork examples, and was worthy of a newspaper article.
Publications
- Ireland, L., & Crowther, A. Case Study One – Brett Emery: Asperger’s Syndrome, Depression, Alcohol Misuse & Suicide. Published as Teaching & Learning Materials for CSU’s Undergraduate Nursing and Post-Graduate Mental Health Programs and for presentation by Dr. Crowther at a D & A Conference in Sydney, May 14 2007.
- Ireland, L., & Crowther, A. Case Study Two – James Granger: Schizophrenia, Substance Abuse and Alcohol Withdrawal. Published as Teaching & Learning Materials for CSU and for presentation by Dr. Crowther at a D & A Conference in Sydney, May 14 2007.
- Ireland, L., & Crowther, A. Case Study three – Kari Parekowhai: Drug & Alcohol Abuse, Methamphetamine Psychosis, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Family Violence and other Issues Impacting on Indigenous Communities. Published as Teaching & Learning Materials for CSU and for presentation by Dr. Crowther at a D & A Conference in Sydney, May 14 2007.
- Unite, O. & Ireland, L. Problem-Based Learning: A Teaching Methodology. Why Should Clinical Nurse Educators Consider Problem-Based Learning in Undergraduate Nursing Education? My contribution to a teaching and learning resource for Masters students, which presents nine literature reviews based upon various innovative teaching methodologies and trends. Published for the ACU library, Mackillop Campus.
- Ireland, L. A Selection Intensive Care Unit Policies and Procedures. Published by the Mater Hospital, North Sydney.
- PUBLICATIONS (WORKS IN PROGRESS)
- Unite, O., Ireland, L., & Guy, J. The effectiveness of the Preparation of Unternational BN Students for Clinical Placement
- Unite, O. & Ireland, L. Mentoring: Increasing Student Satisfaction, Improving Educational Outcomes and Raising Retention rates within Undergraduate Nursing Education.
- Unite, O., Leigh, M., & Ireland, L. Culture Shock: Considering the Significance of the Impact of Culture Shock as a Barrier to Learning for Students from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Backgrounds, at the Australian Catholic University, NSW.