Rebecca Fitzgerald

Rebecca is an Assistant Professor of Intellectual Disability Nursing with over 15 years experience working in clinical practice and education predominantly in the Health Service Executive (HSE) and for a period of time in Perth Western Australia. A Registered Nurse Intellectual Disability and a Registered Nurse Tutor, Rebecca has experience working wth people with intellectual disability and their families in residential and community settings across the lifespan. Rebecca has led out in curriculum deisgn ad contributed to national continuing professional development initiaitves spanning intellectual disability and mental health. Rebecca's time working within the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery services Director (ONMSD) has fostered partnerships with multi-stakeholders not limited to the HSE, including the Department of Health, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) and Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). Rebecca has contributed to national strategy through leadership roles, including as Chairperson of the National Intellectual Disability Education Committee. Her work emphasizes a committment to aligning teaching, learning and research with national healthcare policy, strategy and goals, ensuring that our nursing worksforce are specifically trained to meet shifting population needs and digital health innovations. 

Rebecca teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate nursing programmes in the school of nursing and midwifery.  Rebecca's key teaching interests relate to optimising care and support for people with intellectual disability throughout their life with particular interests in person centred planning, community practice, inclusive healthcare, future planning and trauma informed care. Rebecca has a keen interest in active and student centred learning including healthcare simulation, instructional design and using gamification in learning.  Rebecca strives to facilitate a learning environment where diverse perspectives are celebrated, curiosity is actively nurtured and every student is empowered with the confidence to shape their own educational journey. 

Rebecca's research interests include highlighting and identifying the supports needed for people with intellectual disablity to access equitable person-centred inclusive healthcare throughout their lives. Rebecca is also interested in intellectual disability and mental health with a particular interest on the use and adaption of psychosocial interventions with people with intellectual disability. Additional interests also include: exploring the needs of people with cognitive and adaptive functioning deficits who do not have a diagnosis of intellectual disability and research that aims to  impact, highlight and support the physical health challenges experienced by people with intellectual disability including, respiratory, gastrointestinal, neurological, ear nose and throat and cardiac.