Nursing in Practice Ireland (NiPI) is delighted to announce that regular contributor and friend of the journal Dr Theresa Lowry Lehnen (PhD), Advanced Nurse Practitioner candidate in General Practice, was appointed a Fellow (by examination) (FFNMRCSI) by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery on 9 December 2024.
Fellowship of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery in RCSI is awarded to candidates (with Masters level qualifications and above) in recognition of outstanding work and exceptional leadership in their profession. It is one of the most prestigious professional qualifications to be awarded to nurses and midwives, and the highest award a faculty can confer.
The RCSI Fellowship by Examination involves an extensive portfolio of evidence and viva voce exam, where the portfolio of evidence is explored through a critical discussion between the candidate and examiners.
Examined by Prof Marie Carney and Dr Niamh Walsh, at RCSI, Theresa articulated and expertly demonstrated how she achieved, contributed to, and developed her capacity, competence, and capability across four domains: Autonomy in Nursing; Professional and Clinical Leadership; Expert Practitioner in Nursing; and Research.
About Dr Theresa Lowry Lehnen
Dr Lowry Lehnen is qualified as a registered general nurse, coronary care nurse, specialist practitioner in general practice nursing (SPGP-UKNMC), registered nurse prescriber (RNP), and as a teacher of science and nursing studies. She holds a PhD, and is a registered teacher with the Teaching Council of Ireland. She has over 40 years of clinical nursing experience in primary and secondary care, combining her practice with 20 years in educational, teaching, and lecturing roles.
She is a Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, and Royal College of General Practitioners certified practitioner in sexual health, and an International Union for Health Promotion and Education registered health promotion practitioner. She is currently undertaking the Post Graduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice at Trinity College Dublin, and will complete the course in May 2025.
Dr Lowry Lehnen worked in coronary and intensive care for 15 years before moving to the primary care sector, where she has continued to practise for 25 years. She has worked in general practice, out-of-hours GP services, nurse-led walk-in centres, and minor injury units, and was a founding nurse member of the Carlow/ Kilkenny Community Intervention Team (CIT). Theresa is general practice employed and has managed the nurse-led medical centre at South East Technological University, Carlow campus, since 2015.
Among her myriad achievements, Theresa has authored several published nursing, health, and psychology books, and is a regular contributor to medical, nursing, and pharmaceutical journals and newspapers, with in excess of 300 clinical articles published to date. Some of her academic work has been used to create continuing professional development modules for doctors, nurses, and pharmacy teams.
She has been a regular contributor to GreenCross Publications including the Medical Independent and its affiliated journals for many years, and played an instrumental role in initiating collaboration between the team at NiPI and the Irish Association of Advanced Nurse and Midwife Practitioners (IAANMP) to establish an official supplement for the IAANMP, providing a dedicated platform for advanced nurses and midwives in Ireland to publish, share, and discuss critical research and advanced practice.
Theresa has received an array of additional recognitions and awards in recent years. These include:
- 2024: Dr David Thomas Award recipient, for outstanding contribution to third-level student health.
- 2023: Nurse Educator Award recipient at Trinity College Dublin (Irish Nurses Cardiovascular Association 25th Jubilee Excellence Awards).
- 2023: ‘Nursing Project of the Year’ and the ‘Student Intervention Awards’ recipient at the Irish Health Care Awards (RNP delivered contraception and sexual health services for third level students).
- 2021; 2022; 2023: Listed in ‘Professional 100’ (Hospital Professional News: Annual Listing of Ireland’s Leading Healthcare Professionals).
- 2020: Practice Nurse of the Year Award recipient at the Irish Health Care Awards.
- 2019: Irish General Practice Nurses Educational Association Educational Research Bursary Award recipient.
- 2019: ‘Nursing Project of the Year’ Award recipient at the Irish Healthcare Centre Awards (Smoking Cessation Interventions).
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