My Career: ‘It takes a village as they say..everyone has a role to play and we all pull together’

Name: Liza Fitzgerald

Age: 55

Lives: Cork city

Job title: Assistant Director of Nursing at Horizons Cork

Salary bracket: HSE payscale

Education background: I went to school at the Ursuline Convent in Blackrock and completed my Leaving Cert in 1987.

Hobbies: I love going on holidays, reading, walking and spending time with family and friends.

Describe your job in five words: Challenging, interesting, enjoyable, dynamic, diverse.

Describe yourself in five words: Chatty, resilient, kind, fair. A tough cookie!

Personality needed for this kind of work? Have good common sense, a sense of humour, a good listener and calm. I can’t say that I am all at the same time!

How long are you doing this job? 36 years. Time really does fly!

How did you get this job?

When I did my Leaving Cert, jobs were scarce. I really did not know what my career path would look like. I worked on a FÁS Teamwork scheme for a year whilst studying for a Diploma in Social Studies at night in UCC.

At the time the Cork Examiner, as it was then, had a jobs page every Friday and it was there I saw the advert for Student Nurses in Cope Foundation, which is now called Horizons. I applied, did an interview and was successful along with 15 others. It was a three-year programme that led to registration as a Registered Nurse in Intellectual Disability with NMBI – the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.

During my years, I have met amazing colleagues and mentors who have influenced me in my work, but most importantly those I have cared for who have made me the nurse I am today. We have navigated life and its path together.

Do you need particular qualifications or experience?

Yes, you do. In fact, as Horizons is a health service provider, we provide an incredible pathway in partnership with UCC to deliver the practice placement component of the undergraduate BSc Intellectual Disability Nursing programme. We have seen fantastic nurses come out of the four-year programme, many who still work with us.

Another way of accessing the undergraduate BSc ID nursing programme is applying through the Central Applications Office to a nursing or midwifery programme either with Leaving Certificate results or Further Education and Training qualification.

Sponsorship is available for a limited number of mature applicants.

To be eligible you must be directly involved in roles such as a healthcare assistant or multi-task attendant in Health Service Executive (HSE)/section 38 organisations, applications for this open in January of each year. Also, the tertiary nursing programme allows students to complete a QQI 5 Nursing Studies course before progressing to the degree at University.

Describe a day at work:

My day starts at 8.30am. I link with my team and look at our agenda for the day, some of this is pre-planned however it can change rapidly.

Clinical governance is my remit and this involves continuously looking to improve the quality of service and provision of high standards of care in Horizons. The focus is on delivery of safe, effective and person centred care.

I work alongside a team of over 300 nurses in Horizons. I try to get out the door on time, there are days when you simply cannot. All people working in health and social care are the same in that they believe the person we support comes first. My family understands this and I could not do this job without their support. They are amazing and keep the show on the road at home.

How many hours do you work a week?

37.5, says no nurse ever!

What do you wear to work? In my role it has to be smart, not scrubs. It is healthcare and there is a standard when it comes to the same. Infection control rules everything. Anyone considering healthcare as a career needs to recognise this and be willing to compromise.

Is your industry male or female dominated?

Female with a healthy mix of males.

Does this affect you in any particular way?

No, we balance each other and gender mix is healthy to have in a work environment.

Is your job stressful? How? Rate it on a scale of 1-10:

7, although no two days are the same.

Do you work with others or on your own?

I work with a team of others, mainly nurses, care assistants, social care workers and support services. It takes a village, as they say. In Horizons, everyone has a role to play, we all pull together, recent events like red weather warnings remind us all of how valuable each staff member is. Everybody rows in.

When do you plan to retire or give up working?

Four years is the goal, we will see how it goes. Rather than thinking of an end date I will work away.

Best bits:

The people, those we support and those I work alongside.

Worst bits:

The red tape and the challenge of budgets. People are people and all are individuals with different needs, we need to remember that.

Advice to those who want your job?

Be open, be committed, be fair. Challenge yourself and listen to the voice of the people we support.

Any other comments? A lot of people in Cork will have memories of the Flowers of Hope, the Pools office in Oliver Plunkett Street. Horizons has grown over the years, it is a great place to work. The opportunities are immense. Anyone thinking of a career in nursing or social care in the disability sector, my advice is to go for it. Try volunteering and do a QQI course to see if it’s for you. Age is not a barrier.