Niamh Walsh
For Niamh Walsh, the decision to pursue a nursing degree started at home. There wasn’t a strong nursing tradition in the family, but she always admired the way her mother and grandmother took care of others, especially when they were sick.
Eight years ago, Niamh’s mother became seriously ill herself. Following a successful recovery from surgery, her mother was full of praise for the extraordinary care and reassurance she received from the nursing staff.
The experience made Niamh think, “I want to be that for people.”
Niamh, from Killeigh near Tullamore, Co. Offaly, says she wasn’t originally considering DCU, but it shot to the top of her CAO after attending an Open Day. She loved the friendly atmosphere and left the campus saying, “This is where I'm going.”
Niamh began the course during the Covid-19 pandemic, a challenging time for all students, but particularly for those taking Nursing.
Normally, students get hands-on training in the various nursing skills in labs before going on placement. For her class, it was different as all the demonstrations were via video. Going on a four-week placement at Beaumont Hospital in full PPE was a difficult experience. Being masked up created “a bit of a disconnect” with staff and patients.
During this time, Niamh admits she had second thoughts about Nursing. “I was like, I can't do this.” However, that changed as she picked up new skills and gained more experience in a clinical setting.
While the pandemic was difficult, Niamh also says that the experience of coping with such a stressful situation will be beneficial in the long run for nurses like her. Another silver lining was the great friends she made with fellow nursing students in her accommodation during that time.
Other strong friendships developed when she signed up to work as a DCU Student Ambassador. Her older sister, who was already an ambassador, “didn’t really give me a choice” in the matter.
“I absolutely loved it, and I'm glad I kind of got shoved into it a little bit,” she says, laughing.
On the academic side of the course, Niamh was surprised how much she enjoyed the non-clinical subjects like Communications, Psychology and Sociology.
She says the teaching staff were very supportive, and gives lecturer Anne Kirwan as an example. “If you had a problem you could go to Anne Kirwan and she'd help you. So, it’s nice having that support.”
The lecturers mainly come from a nursing background, and Niamh found their personal perspectives very useful. It was reassuring to hear that even these experienced professionals had nursing experiences when things didn’t go to plan. Niamh says that made the students “feel a little more at ease about going into it all.”
In the final year of the four year degree, the students do a 36-week internship in either Beaumont or Connolly Hospital, gaining experience in three different types of wards.
As the programme comes close to completion, the students can apply for roles in the hospital. Niamh got her first choice and now works in the Colorectal and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Ward in Beaumont.
The job involves caring for patients pre and post-surgery and Niamh says she’s greatly enjoying the work. “I think a big part of it was the staff, the management, the support," says Niamh. “I love the work, it’s very interesting.”
For now, Niamh is happy building up her career experience but doesn’t rule out working abroad at some point and then returning home.
In Niamh’s opinion, Nursing may not be for everyone but for those considering this career her advice is: “Stay at it because one day it'll all just click for you, and then there's no going back.”