Dr Claire McCauley is Lecturer in Health Sciences in Ulster University’s School of Nursing and Paramedic Science. She is a clinical pharmacist by background but now lectures extensively across the under graduate and post graduate nursing, paramedic and medical programmes. Claire has excelled as an early career educator, being innovative and showing leadership across the breadth of our provision.
This is particularly the case in leading the integration of pharmacology into programmes, aligned with strategic educational, professional and workforce strategies. She had led on enhancing undergraduate nursing programmes across a variety of initiatives. The success of these approaches is found in student’s progression in clinical practice where these elements are applied; traditionally students struggled with these aspects of practice and since Claire’s educational intervention, student progression and achievement of these practice competencies has seen demonstrable improvement.
This approach leads to a seamless transition that enables safe and effective practice by our practitioners. She is translating this practice into the new paramedic science undergraduate degree programme, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, taking forward a new way and level of learning for paramedic students through leading on pharmacology modules that will also scaffold to post registration provision in planning. Claire’s research focuses on mental health and wellbeing in vulnerable populations and the impact of chronic conditions.
She is advancing inter-professional education through breaking down traditional barriers in education, particularly in the areas of mental ill-health, demonstrating agency in her approach, by integrating her research into evidenced based clinical education.