As the daughter of a Garda and a secondary school teacher, she was following in the footsteps of her two older brothers, who had both studied nursing. “I suppose the prospect of a secure career would have been part of the appeal, but it was also a fondness for helping others that made my decision to become a nurse an easy one,” she recalled.

Today, Mary Rose is a registered Intellectual Disability Nurse and works as a Clinical Nurse Manager with the Brothers of Charity Services Ireland. In her present role, she manages a community residential unit, which strives to deliver evidence-based practice for residents with intellectual disabilities, ensuring each person has a good quality of life while managing their holistic needs alongside a team of Nurses and support workers. Prior to this, she worked as a staff nurse with the Brothers of Charity across a range of settings in the Galway region, including day centres, respite services and dementia/geriatric care. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Intellectual Disability Nursing from Atlantic Technological University, Letterkenny and a MSc in Advanced Leadership from the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI).

“I think that the path of Intellectual Disability chose me, and I got very interested in that area when I went to the Atlantic Technological University to train. It wasn’t an area that I knew much about, and never knew anybody with an intellectual disability. That being said, I am a believer in that old saying — ‘what’s for you won’t pass you’ — and it is an extremely interesting and rewarding job, and one I’m very glad to be in.”

Having qualified in 2017, Mary Rose moved to Galway to begin a very fruitful working life with the Brothers of Charity Ireland: “It has been such a fantastic organisation for my career, and given me so many opportunities to flourish. Supporting people with intellectual disabilities in a holistic manner in every aspect of their lives has such a rewarding aspect to it.”

Her work as a Clinical Nurse Manager is extremely broad, and will encompass daily tasks such as medication and healthcare management,  “but also helping individuals achieve personal goals, like going on an airplane for the first time. It is amazing.”

As in any career, there are challenges - but all of which Mary Rose clearly relishes in a healthcare sector she has no doubts she was meant for. “We can have the challenge of communication barriers with individuals, and the need for time and patience in employing alternative communication methods. As a nurse, I advocate for the rights and dignity of each individual I support, and also the promoting of inclusivity at all times.”

RNID’s are constantly adapting to the everchanging needs of the services within Ireland, while ensuring people with Intellectual Disability live ordinary lives in ordinary places. “As such, I am dedicated to advancing my profession to improve care and to support my colleagues. In my work I am highly driven to enhance the delivery of evidence-based practice for each resident with an intellectual disability within the healthcare sector.” Another quote of Florence Nightengale comes to mind concerning the profession’s need for continual learning and upskilling: “Nursing is a progressive art, such that to stand still is to go backward.”

In addition to her BSc in intellectual disability nursing and MSc in Advanced Leadership from RCSI, Mary Rose is also a qualified ‘Studio III’ trainer offering guidance and techniques in managing behaviours of concern, stress management, and crisis intervention in supporting people with intellectual disabilities and staff. “I have an avid interest in education and furthering professional development with a commitment to amplifying the voice of all RNIDs within the healthcare sector, and a dedication to evolving in my specialism. We try to find the meaning of behaviours because every behaviour has a meaning, and it is about understanding why a person might be doing this and how we can help them.”

She also  recently completed a thesis on developing staff bereavement training to support grieving adults with intellectual disability, adding another string to her bow of professional accomplishments. “We all experience bereavement at different times of our lives, and when a person with an intellectual disability encounters this, they may have a limited understanding of the process, making it difficult for us to support them. Often, they might have a delayed reaction, as much as three or four months on, and we need to understand that process. I do hope to do something in training around this in the future, but just haven’t got the opportunity yet.”

Mary Rose Loughnane is a Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) member, nominated through election by the registrants of the designated profession. Her appointment runs from 13th January 2023 to 12th January 2027.  As the independent, statutory organisation which regulates the nursing and midwifery professions in Ireland, the NMBI works with nurses and midwives, the public and key stakeholders to enhance safety and care for people using services. Its mission is “to protect the public and the integrity of the professions of nursing and midwifery through the promotion of high standards of education, training, and professional conduct.”

For Mary Rose, being a board member has added an extra dimension to her career. “The NMBI is a fantastic organisation overseeing the governance and operations around planning, finance and education, and has definitely given me an insight around its inner workings. In its position as a beacon of excellence, the dedication of the NMBI executives, staff and stakeholders in regulating the profession across Ireland is certainly a major undertaking and has been fascinating in giving me a unique perspective on the inner workings of the profession.”

As our conversation comes to an end, another observation of Florence Nightengale’s springs to mind: “Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses — we must be learning all of our lives.” In the case of Mary Rose Loughnane, this is certainly a true statement for an individual who continues to expand and further her growing skillset for the benefit of those individuals she works diligently to support.

“Being a nurse, you need to continue growing and learning in your career, and adapt to new challenges by expanding your skills at every opportunity. In my job, no two days are the same, and being knowledgeable about new things helps us to support the people in our care even further.”