Seffie O'Donnell

Biography

Seffie O'Donnell HDip MPH RNID RNT is an Assistant Professor in Nursing (Intellectual Disability) with a breadth of clinical leadership and higher education teaching experience across intellectual disability and general nursing disciplines. A Registered Nurse Intellectual Disability (RNID), Seffie has worked extensively with people with intellectual disability and their families across residential and community settings, moving through progressively senior clinical leadership roles before transitioning into academia at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Limerick.

Seffie has led on the development and implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines and Service frameworks, translating audit findings, incident analysis and regulatory feedback into structured education and governance improvements across services. His background spans clinical governance, quality assurance and regulatory compliance, and he brings this systems-level perspective into the classroom, working to ensure teaching, learning and clinical education remain closely aligned with evolving service standards and workforce needs.

Seffie's work reflects a commitment to strengthening the link between frontline practice and higher education, equipping the next generation of nurses to respond confidently to the complex and shifting realities of intellectual disability services.

Seffie teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate nursing programmes in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, with particular interests in rehabilitative care and supporting people with intellectual disability across the lifespan.

He has a keen interest in OSCE design and assessment, problem-based learning, and simulation and scenario-based teaching, drawing on his clinical leadership experience to bring real-world case complexity into the learning environment.

Seffie is particularly interested in supporting students to understand and respond to behaviours of concern/that may challenge, medication safety, and risk within intellectual disability practice. He strives to create a relaxed learning environment grounded in reflective practice, professional accountability and evidence-informed care, where students are supported and challenged in equal measure to become confident, capable practitioners.

Seffie's research interests centre on health promotion for people with intellectual disability, including how tailored education and support can improve health literacy and enable more equitable access to healthcare across the lifespan. He has a particular interest in behaviours of concern/that may challenge, including the clinical, relational and systemic factors that shape them, and how staff can be better educated and supported to respond safely and compassionately.

Seffie is also interested in the development of the person with intellectual disability across the lifespan, from childhood through to adulthood and older age, and how services and supports can adapt to meet changing needs at each stage.

A further interest lies in the transition from school-based to adult services, and how young people with intellectual disability and their families are supported through this period of significant change.