We know from our work with registrants that sharing experiences can help others. We also like to highlight careers and different career paths in the Nursing and Midwifery Professions.

That’s why we would love to hear from you. We want to focus on you and your profession in our monthly editions of the NMBI eZine.

If you or your team would like to participate, please complete the questionnaire below and email it to communications@nmbi.ie. 

Please include a picture or pictures of you.

In this issue we speak to Bernie Moran, a Practice Nurse at the Scally McDaid Roarty GP Practice in Letterkenny. Co Donegal.

Our interview with Bernie

Why did you choose a career in nursing/midwifery?

It sounds clichéd but I simply enjoyed helping and caring for people. Two of my sisters were nurses and I suppose I looked up to them and admired what they did.  My sister Mary worked voluntarily as a nurse in Calcutta with Mother Teresa and that had a profound effect on me. It was never a conscious decision, for as long as I remember it was always the career I knew I would pursue. It is also a career that allows great flexibility. I took time out when my children were born and only returned three years ago to work as a practice nurse. It was very daunting but one of the best decisions I ever made. 

Was this your first career choice and what would you do if you weren’t a nurse/midwife?

Yes this was always my first career choice. If I didn’t get to do my nurse training I would have kept trying until I succeeded.

How do you believe you have made a difference as a nurse/midwife?

Simply showing kindness and going the extra mile for your patients makes a huge difference to them. It is often the little things that patients remember the most.

Do you have a memory in your job that really stands out?

I recently received three letters from patients thanking me for the care they received during their appointment with me in the GP practice. This really stands out for me on personal level, that the patients felt so appreciative that they took the time to write to me.

How has Covid-19 changed nursing? Are there any positives that you will take with you?

Covid-19 has changed the world forever. On a practical level, in my role as a practice nurse it has resulted in less patient contact and more telephone consultations/telephone triage. I miss the face-to-face contact.

On a positive note, it has made us all slow down and appreciate what really matters, family and our health. It has made us all realise the value of meeting up with friends for a coffee and a chat, which we may have previously taken for granted.

If you could, what advice would you give to 19 year-old you, starting out?

I would advise them to enjoy their training, work hard and give their best to the job, but know that the system is far from perfect, so try and focus on all the good you can do, not on what you didn’t get to achieve in any given day. Treat every single patient the way you would want your family member to be treated. It is often the simple things that make the biggest difference to the patients experience. And once you qualify, travel and see the world if you can. Nursing provides great work/travel opportunities, so see the world, live your best life, it’s not a rehearsal.

If you were given one million euro to spend on health, how would you spend it?

One million is not a huge amount to make any substantial difference. I think I would abolish all carparking charges for staff. It is crazy to think you should have to pay to park at your workplace.

It’s post-pandemic and you’ve just won a holiday to anywhere in the world! Where would you go and why?

I would love to go to a spa in Switzerland without my phone (or any internet connection) and just live in the moment. Enjoy the beautiful scenery, eat healthy food and connect with nature.

Back to reality…. You’ve a week to spend on holidays in Ireland. Where would you go and why?

My mother is 91 and we were supposed to take her to Center Parcs last March before the lockdown, so I would love to go there with her and my sisters as originally planned.