Orla McAlinden

Orla McAlinden has been an adult nurse since 1979 (Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast, Northern Ireland, working through the period of civil and political turbulence known as ‘the Troubles’) and a children’s nurse since 1986 (Queen Mary’s Hospital Carshalton) and a Lecturer in Children’s Nursing at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland since 1992. Her clinical background with children includes medical/surgical nursing, education and clinical experience in PICU and NICU (Lewisham & Evelina Children’s Unit at Guy’s Hospital London). Orla’s clinical and professional interests lie in ethical, legal and professional aspects of children’s nursing, with a particular interest in infant mental health, emotional/mental health and wellbeing, complex needs and CAMHs-related issues.

Currently, Orla works in the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland in a Category A Prison, and as a Teaching Assistant at Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is a member of the Editorial Advisory Panel for the Nursing Children and Young People’s Journal, a Specialist Advisor with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), a Steering Group member for RCN Community & Continuing Care Forum, and a Social Media Moderator for that Forum’s Facebook/Twitter pages. She is a keen participant with the @WeCYPNurses community on Twitter and an advocate for professional social media use.