Sean Joseph Kelleher

Dr. Seán Kelleher, a Registered General Nurse (RGN), graduated from The University School of Nursing in Bonn, Germany, in 1996. With extensive experience in intensive care nursing across both Germany and Ireland, he has cultivated a career defined by leadership in nursing education and international collaboration. Since his appointment as a Lecturer at the School of Nursing & Midwifery, University College Cork (UCC) in 2003, Dr. Kelleher has been instrumental in shaping undergraduate and postgraduate nursing education. He serves as Programme Director for the Postgraduate Diploma in Intensive Care Nursing and the BSc. Nursing Studies (International) programmes. He has also significantly contributed to UCC’s global reach, having served as the School’s ERASMUS+ Coordinator for a decade, securing partnerships with Higher Education Institutions across Europe through 2024/25. Additionally, as Co-Chair of the School’s Global Engagement and Internationalisation Committee, he led efforts to foster strategic international collaborations and enhance UCC’s international profile. Dr. Kelleher plays a key advisory role in the HSE’s South South West Hospital Group, where he provides expert guidance on the status and development of critical care education. He is also a member of the All-Ireland Critical Care Nursing Research Group, contributing to national conversations on the advancement of research in critical care nursing. Dr. Kelleher has been a key figure in advancing critical care nursing education in Ireland. In 2017 and again in 2022, he and colleagues from University College Dublin secured competitive HSE tenders to design and implement the National Foundation Education Module in Critical Care Nursing. This initiative provides standardized education for intensive care nurses across Ireland and acts as a foundational step toward postgraduate specializatio

My research interests encompass contemporary issues in critical care nursing, healthcare education, international student mobility, and cancer survivorship.For my MSc, I conducted an observational study examining the open endotracheal suctioning practices of critical care nurses. This research and its subsequent publications were instrumental in prompting a national review of suctioning practices and have been widely cited in international peer-reviewed journals, reflecting their significant impact on clinical practice. I also conducted a study on the knowledge and attitudes of emergency department (ED) doctors and nurses toward substance use and substance users. This research has garnered considerable international recognition and continues to inform clinical practices and policies. In 2017, in collaboration with University College Cork (UCC), University College Dublin (UCD), and the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD), I contributed to the rollout of Ireland’s first National Foundation Module in Critical Care Nursing. As a co-principal investigator, I led a 2022 outcomes study evaluating the perceived benefits of the programme, providing key insights into its role in advancing critical care nursing education. My interest in international student mobility formed the basis of my doctoral research, where I applied the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to explore the determinants of nursing and midwifery students’ intentions to study abroad. This mixed-methods study has informed recommendations aimed at designing educational programmes that foster and support students’ interest in international mobility.In addition, my research extends to cancer survivorship, examining the long-term physical, emotional, and social impacts of cancer and its treatments, with the aim of enhancing survivorship care. My research portfolio reflects a commitment to addressing pressing clinical, educa

NU6031 Intensive Care Nursing (Module Leader) NU6165 Health Assessment for Nursing Practice (Module Leader) NU6073 Dissertation in Nursing NU6171 Principles in Critical Care Nursing (Module Leader) NU6152 Medical and Surgical Nursing Care of Individuals with Cardiorespiratory Problems NU6130 Clinical Practice in Specialist Nursing 1 (Module Leader) NU6131 Clinical Practice in Specialist Nursing 2 (Module Leader) NU6005 Evidence Based Nursing for Health Care Professionals NU5098 National Foundation Module in Critical Care Nursing (Module Leader) NU4073 Research for Evidence Based Nursing and Midwifery Care NU1044/49/51/56/62 Patient Manual Handling NU30823068/3069 Intravenous management and Skills NU4077 DARE NU4038 Fundamentals in Critical Care Nursing (4th year elective module) Reserach supervisor to BSc. Nursing Studies students (top-up), MSc. Nursing and PhD students