College of Medicine, Nursing and College of Medicine, Nursing and Health SciencesHealth Sciences

Challenges and Challenges and Opportunities; Opportunities;

Strategic Planning for Strategic Planning for the Collegethe College

Gerard.loftus@nuigalway.ieGerard.loftus@nuigalway.ie

Academic Restructuring – Creating a CollegeAcademic Restructuring – Creating a College

College

School of

Medicine

School

of

Nursing

&

Midwifer

y

School of

Health

Sciences

What do Schools’ needs from the College structure?

What does College need from its Schools?

How do needs differ across Schools?

How should resourcing match these needs?

Developmental Status of Schools; the source of needs School

of Medicine

School of Nursing & Midwifery

School of Health Sciences [HP, OT, Pod, SLT.]

Mature, established disciplines, Research -capable

Crowded, internally competitive

Emerging disciplines, programme expansion,Internally collaborative

Research challenge

Therapies newly established, teaching focussed, HP more developed

Few disciplines,research challenge in therapies

DISCIPLINES

&

RESEARCH

FLEXIBILITY & INNOVATION

Strategic PlanningStrategic Planning

‘‘Where are we, where are we going Where are we, where are we going how do we get there?’how do we get there?’

Do we need to bring sandwiches? Do we need to bring sandwiches? Realistic, practical, with priorities and Realistic, practical, with priorities and

timescales.timescales. Informed, ambitious and in the Informed, ambitious and in the

ownership of staffownership of staff

Planning [Contd.]Planning [Contd.]

InformationInformation Trends Foresight Trends Foresight Integration; joined-up thinkingIntegration; joined-up thinking Comprehensive and reasonably Comprehensive and reasonably

detaileddetailed Flexible but not aspirationalFlexible but not aspirational Supporting endeavour rather than Supporting endeavour rather than

constraining itconstraining it

SWOT AnalysisSWOT Analysis

StrengthsStrengths WeaknessesWeaknesses OpportunitiesOpportunities ThreatsThreats

College Strengths Include:College Strengths Include: A unique alliance of healthcare educators A unique alliance of healthcare educators

[medicine, nursing & midwifery, therapies and [medicine, nursing & midwifery, therapies and health promotion are rarely so well aligned]health promotion are rarely so well aligned]

A dynamic and ambitious culture. A record of A dynamic and ambitious culture. A record of internal review, vigour, collaboration and internal review, vigour, collaboration and innovationinnovation

A professional background and orientationA professional background and orientation A focus on students and the quality of student A focus on students and the quality of student

intakeintake Restructuring; Schools have cognate rationale Restructuring; Schools have cognate rationale Strong research ethos and emerging areas of Strong research ethos and emerging areas of

research research [bench to bedside to community to [bench to bedside to community to population to public policypopulation to public policy] ]

College Weaknesses Include:College Weaknesses Include: Dependence on external actors; HSE, Dependence on external actors; HSE,

HEA/DES, professional bodies, other HEA/DES, professional bodies, other UniversitiesUniversities

Relationship between Schools – good Relationship between Schools – good neighbours or family?neighbours or family?

In the absence of common ‘bread-and-In the absence of common ‘bread-and-butter’ programmes as in Science and butter’ programmes as in Science and Arts, where is the cement that binds?Arts, where is the cement that binds?

Administrative structures are not aligned Administrative structures are not aligned in all areasin all areas

Bi-located and cramped; Áras Moyola and Bi-located and cramped; Áras Moyola and CSI [plus Distillery Rd.], HBB?CSI [plus Distillery Rd.], HBB?

College Opportunities Include:College Opportunities Include:

Increased student numbers [Medicine]Increased student numbers [Medicine] New programmes [Health Sciences]New programmes [Health Sciences] Postgraduate innovation [Nursing and Midwifery]Postgraduate innovation [Nursing and Midwifery] Research collaborations [Strategy and PRTLI5]Research collaborations [Strategy and PRTLI5] Growth in PhD profile all areasGrowth in PhD profile all areas Growth in taught post-graduate programmes Growth in taught post-graduate programmes

[Cert., Dip. And Masters] using clinical/in-service [Cert., Dip. And Masters] using clinical/in-service and blended learning modelsand blended learning models

Overseas recruitmentOverseas recruitment Joint Governance structures with HSEJoint Governance structures with HSE

Threats to College Include:Threats to College Include:

Impact of HSE budget difficulties esp. Impact of HSE budget difficulties esp. Nursing.Nursing.

Changes in University income model Changes in University income model [RGAM][RGAM]

Changes in University resource allocation, Changes in University resource allocation, moving to profitability /entrepreneurial moving to profitability /entrepreneurial modelsmodels

Employment scenario for graduatesEmployment scenario for graduates Building delays – HBBBuilding delays – HBB Status quo; provincial /national focusStatus quo; provincial /national focus

Common purpose across Medicine, Nursing

and Health Sciences

Student engagement, societal contribution.

Integration of the 3 Schools in Education

Develop shared governance with HSE West

Integrating College into the University

Expand the student base

Strategic ObjectivesStrategic Objectives

Develop collaborative research to Develop collaborative research to Fund growth, develop infrastructureFund growth, develop infrastructure

Build relationships across the 3 Schools, Build relationships across the 3 Schools,

developing College integrationdeveloping College integration

Replicate the REMEDI /NCBES success Replicate the REMEDI /NCBES success

across other disciplines and across other disciplines and

collegescolleges

Develop professional collaboration within Develop professional collaboration within

Healthcare servicesHealthcare services

Inform student learning and developmentInform student learning and development

Serve community healthcare needsServe community healthcare needs

Objectives [continued] Objectives [continued]

COLLEGE OFFICE:

Dean, Director, Admin Assistant.plus Executive-committee and

Vice-deans.

SCHOOLS OFFICES (3):

Heads, Senior Administrators,

other admin and academic

support.

FUNCTIONS (include)Policy, strategy & co-ordination in teaching and research, external liaison, academic policy [admissions, assessment etc], ‘accreditation’ of degree/awards, ‘quality assurance’, student appeals, programme board reports, support technologies, financial allocation.

FUNCTIONS (include)Programme design, management & delivery [liaison with Admissions, Records/syllabus file, Examinations], postgrad admissions, student support, specific reports to College

Let’s just hope we’re not doing anything silly!