40 positions available in Cork City hospital

A busy hospital in the heart of the city, Mercy University Hospital (MUH) is recruiting for a variety of nursing posts across various levels and specialities.

The hospital is currently hiring for 40 positions overall, adding to its existing 1,600 staff who treat over 137,000 patients at the hospital which has a visitor footfall of approximately 50,000 annually.

Salaries range from approximately €33,000 to €51,000 for staff nurse roles and up to €65,000 to €81,000 for advanced nurse practitioner posts.

Speaking to The Echo, MUH interim director of HR Michael Hanrahan said the hospital is “exceptionally busy from a recruitment perspective”.

“Last year, we had 365 jobs, we had 7,360 applicants and we did 1,144 interviews, so in that broad context, we have approximately 1,600 staff as well.

“There are a number of reasons we are hiring. Number one is that we have a number of vacancies in our nursing department and we’d like to fill those. The second part then is it’s an opportunity to build our brand and further our recruitment strategy.

“And we also see, as well, there’s going to be a change coming in the next 12 months. We’re coming out of a pandemic and we would have a lot of staff members who wouldn’t have had the opportunity to travel back to their home country.”

Mr Hanrahan said there are also vacancies to be filled prior to people retiring and that there has also been an investment in the hospital over the past five years which has brought about the need to recruit for the ongoing needs of the hospital.

MUH invested €40m in the last five years, notably €21m in a new 30-bed ward and two new operating theatres last year; €6m on a new radiology building with five new ultrasound suites and support services; €2m in new medical gas systems for oxygen, medical air, and vacuum; €1.5m on electrical infrastructure upgrades; and €500,000 on two new bed lifts in Lee View Block.

The MUH 2020 Capital Plan outlines a phased development plan over the next 10 to 15 years, with potential expansion to four times the current capacity with inpatient and day beds increasing from around 280 to 550.

“We’ve been given approval for a number of posts to meet certain service needs, whether that’s under Sláintecare or the Winter Plan for last year. We get our funding through the HSE and there is a need, and we’re expanding our services to meet those needs under a variety of different initiatives,” Mr Hanrahan said.

Speaking about the benefits of taking up a position at MUH, Mr Hanrahan said that while the hospital faces the same pressures as every other hospital in Ireland — such as overcrowding and long waiting lists — MUH has taken the necessary steps towards prioritising the benefits it delivers to its staff.

“I joined two years ago and I’ve already had the chance to progress to interim HR director so there are real opportunities to progress your career at the hospital,” he said.

Mr Hanrahan said that benefits include a Single Public Service Pension Scheme (SPSPS) with nationally agreed salary scales, a bike to work scheme and tax saver scheme, excellent holidays as well as study leave, flexible working in support of a work-life balance, internal promotions, service recognition awards, in-house and specialised training, sports and social club, and access to the hospital’s wellbeing programme.

The hospital is hiring across a range of disciplines including staff nurse roles in a variety of areas such as medical/surgical, outpatients department, theatre, emergency department paediatrics and critical care unit; clinical nurse manager I posts in the area of medical/surgical; clinical nurse manager II posts with roles in a variety of areas including outpatients department, medical/surgical and occupational health; clinical nurse manager III posts in theatre; clinical nurse specialist posts in a variety of areas including dementia care, oncology and paediatric haematology/oncology; and advanced nurse practitioner posts in the area of dementia.

Founded in 1857 by the Sisters of Merc, MUH now occupies 16 acres in Cork’s city centre, with an annual operating budget in excess of €120m and provides 24/7 acute surgery, acute medicine, and critical care, consistent with its status as a model 3 hospital, and follows a model of “one hospital on multiple sites”, with off-site MUH services on St Mary’s Health Campus, including the Mercy Local Injury Unit, and the Transitional Care Unit. The hospital is also a teaching hospital affiliated with University College Cork for both postgraduate and undergraduate education.

• For those interested in finding out more about the current vacancies, MUH is hosting on-site nurse recruitment open days on Friday, April 21 from 6pm to 9pm, and Saturday, April 22 from 10am to 1pm. Those attending are asked to enter via the main entrance of the green hospital building at Grenville Place, Cork, and follow the signage. All jobs are advertised at careers.muh.ie

Diversity and inclusion is critical to the running and well-being of hospital

THE interim director of HR, Michael Hanrahan, highlighted the importance of diversity and inclusion at the Mercy University Hospital (MUH), as well as the well-being of its 1,600-strong staff.

Over 1,600 staff providing complex diagnostic, medical and surgical care with strong academic and research programmes are employed at the hospital and provide a comprehensive range of services, including 24/7 acute surgery, acute medicine and critical care.

Of those 1,600 employees, 78% are female. 71% of the hospital’s full-time staff are female and 96% of its part-time staff are female.

The hospital’s senior management also has a majority female representation.

“We continue to foster a positive work environment that inspires our employees and promotes flexible and part-time working and a wide diversity of our workforce as well,” he said.

He said the hospital strives to improve the well-being of those employees, with a number of initiatives in place to promote wellness.

He described wellness as “a very important part for all of our staff” at the hospital which runs two Wellness Weeks each year to promote well-being among all its staff members.

“We also have creative initiatives as part of that such as a mindfulness tree, vision screening, blood pressure checks, daily information from different departments, talks, foot and hand massages, and squat challenges and we also have a calendar of events all throughout the year,” he said.

Yearly well-being initiatives include RTÉ’s Operation Transformation in January, National Quit Smoking Day in March, Cultural Week in May, Sun Smart in June, Focus on Mental Health in September, World Menopause Day and Prostate Cancer in October and November, and financial advice in November and December.

Cultural Week is a new initiative that he said the hospital is bringing in this year as a means to celebrate the many cultures that are represented across the hospital departments.

“We have a lot of diversity in terms of the cultures within the hospital so to recognise and celebrate that,” he said.

He also highlighted the importance of flexible working and the hospital’s support of work-life balance for all of its staff.

“Wellness is important but how we actually work and go about our work is important as well and our values underpin that,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of the hospital’s values which were developed by staff and which the hospital is celebrating 10 years of, Mr Hanrahan described them as the vehicle by which the hospital translates ‘Mercy into Action’ and enhances the standards of excellence that are the hallmark of every hospital service.

He said that through all the challenges experienced by the hospital, its values, which are compassion, excellence, justice, respect, and team spirit, have supported hospital staff in the delivery of services to patients.