'A no-brainer to assist in whatever way I can': Why one UCC graduate is delighted to be on call for Ireland

A CORK-based physiologist has said it was a “no-brainer” to answer Ireland’s call for frontline staff.

Jacqueline Murphy graduated from UCC last year, and has signed up to the HSE’s ‘Be on call for Ireland’ recruitment drive, which has received a huge response since its launch on St Patrick’s Day.

More than 40,000 people have responded to the massive recruitment drive to tackle Covid-19 which called on all healthcare professionals not already working in the public health service to register to be on call for Ireland.

The 22-year-old, who continued her studies after her graduation and is not currently working in healthcare, said she wanted to offer her time and knowledge to the health service.

“I have a degree in physiology from UCC, so I’ve signed up to the HSE recruitment call to aid with testing, laboratory work, and research.

“It was a no-brainer for me to decide to give my time and knowledge to assist the health service in whatever way I can during this difficult period,” she said.

Ms Murphy expressed her admiration for all who work in the health sector, and thanked them for the “incredible work” they are doing.

“To every single frontline worker, doctor, nurse, paramedic, EMT, pharmacist, healthcare assistant, carer, laboratory technician, public health officer, pharmacy technician, medical scientist — thank you for your dedication, compassion and the incredible work you have done and will continue to do over the coming weeks and months,” she said.

The HSE also needs people who are not healthcare professionals. 

“Healthcare professionals, medical or science students, and non-professional volunteers are all required so if you’re willing and available for work over the coming weeks and months, please fill out the application form at www.hse.ie/oncall,” she said.

Ms Murphy, who is a social media influencer with over 12k followers on Instagram, has also been using her platform to share factual information about the virus and to advise people not to get their information from anywhere other than trusted sources.

“I’m advocating for people to only listen to trusted sources such as the HSE, the government, and healthcare professionals — and to be aware that there is a lot of false information circulating.

“There is so much unknown ahead of us in the coming weeks but if we remain positive, level-headed and logical in our actions, we will be just fine.

“As a nation, we are known for our kindness and willingness to put others before ourselves — so let’s all try to do our bit to make this period of uncertainty a little more manageable,” she said.