The Mater Hospital has a global reputation for education and training. 


Academic partnerships

The Mater Hospital plays a key role in the delivery of a number of undergraduate and postgraduate academic programmes. University College Dublin (UCD) has been our academic partner since the hospital's foundation in 1861. Together the two institutions have demonstrated a commitment to stimulating a culture of learning and enquiry which has led to the establishment of one of the foremost centres for clinical training in Ireland. Today, the Mater Hospital continues to work closely with UCD in providing world class undergraduate and postgraduate and specialist training programmes in surgery and medicine, nursing, physiotherapy and radiography. 

The hospital also works closely with other academic institutions including RCSI, Trinity College and Dublin City University, amongst others. Through these collaborations, we provide clinical placements and internships to hundreds of students every year, including pharmacists, nurses, doctors, clinical therapists, radiographers, psychologists, medical social workers, podiatrists, audiologists, lab technicians and many more. Our staff also contribute to the development and delivery of academic teaching modules across a number of universities.

Our strong academic partnerships help to ensure that academic programmes are grounded in clinical reality and that our clinical practitioners remain submerged in and up to speed with developments in academia and research. 


Journal clubs, conferences and more

Each week, throughout the hospital, our staff engage in journal clubs and other educational sessions where they learn about the latest research and developments in clinical practice. Many of these sessions are interdisciplinary - encouraging nurses, doctors, clinical therapists and other healthcare professionals to discuss the literature together and how they can use it to inform changes in clinical practice.

Our staff are also encouraged to attend and present at national and international conferences to ensure the services we deliver are in keeping with international best practice. Several conferences are hosted by the Mater Hospital each year, attracting healthcare professionals from around the country and internationally.


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