Earlier this month, we spoke with Seamus Power who you will know from the RTĖ drama Fair City. Seamus has played the character of Dermot Fahy in Fair City for over 20 years and he has recently changed careers to become a Psychiatric Nurse. He now works at the South East Community Healthcare Mental Health Services in Wexford and we were delighted that he could take some time out of his busy life to speak with us.
Feature interview
Why did you decide to study nursing? Where did you study and what was your route in?
I first thought about psychiatric nursing in my twenties. It was before I got into acting and it was definitely a path I thought about exploring. Anyway, I caught the acting bug and went down that road. I went to train as an actor in Dublin so any thoughts of nursing were put on the back boiler. I enjoyed a successful career, working in theatre and television, but psych nursing always remained in the back of my mind. By 2017, I had been acting in the RTĖ drama Fair City for 21 years. The storyline took a turn, which meant my character would go to prison, so an extended break from the show was on the cards. At this stage, I was living in Wexford with my wife and two children. It occurred to me that now might be a good time to make a change. Luckily, my wife and family were very supportive and that gave me the courage to take a chance.
I figured out the route in for me would be as a mature student. A very mature student! I had to go to Dublin to sit the mature nursing exam and having passed that, I applied to the CAO for a place in the South East Technological University, (SETU) to study Psychiatric Nursing. To my surprise, I was offered my first choice and started the degree in October 2019. I really enjoyed the four years in college despite the interruption by Covid-19! Thankfully, I finally got to graduate in 2023, exactly 40 years after I sat my Leaving Certificate in 1983!
Where are you working now?
As nursing graduates, we were all offered full-time contracts with the HSE. I was lucky enough to be offered a position with South East Community Healthcare Mental Health Services in Wexford. I was placed in a residential unit in Enniscorthy. The function of the unit is to provide long-term care for residents with a dual diagnosis of mental illness/intellectual disability and who present with behaviours viewed as challenging. I really enjoy working in this environment. Of course, it can be challenging at times, but I am getting on well with all the residents and the nurses here are amazing. Many of them have decades of experience and they couldn’t have been more supportive and kind to me.
How does your working day differ to when you were working as a full-time actor?
Long hours are a feature of both careers. Acting on television involves a lot of waiting around until it’s time to record your scene. Nursing involves long days but there’s definitely not as much waiting around! Acting is a precarious career. I was lucky to play a character for over 20 years in a long running tv show. So, I had fairly regular employment. Most actors don’t know when the next job will come along, so the future can be uncertain. That was the reality for me for several years working in the theatre before I got the break on television.
Are there aspects of acting that helped you as a nurse?
As an actor, time-keeping, teamwork, discipline and dedication are important. These same qualities are desirable in a nurse. Also, as actors we study the human condition and use our imagination to bring a fictional character to life. We’re always trying to figure out motivations, objectives, beliefs and intentions. If we do the proper research, we can express the spirit of a person in an artistic way.
I think psychiatric nursing has similar themes, for example a psychological assessment will take account of a person’s appearance, speech, emotion and insight but of course as nurses, we are dealing with real people, not fictional characters, so we use science and evidence-based practice to explore these issues.
Are you still open to acting roles? Can you mix both careers?
I actually returned to work on Fair City on a couple of occasions while I was doing my nursing degree. Right now, I’m really enjoying my work as a staff nurse. I only qualified a few months ago, so there is still plenty to see and learn. I think I will get back to acting at some point in the future, whether on the stage or on television and if I could combine it with nursing, that would be ideal. But for now, I have more than enough on my plate and I plan to stay focused on my new career as a nurse.
Do you manage your time differently, now, as a nurse in comparison to when you were acting full-time?
I enjoy working close to where I live. I like getting home to my family every night! For many years, I was commuting up and down from Wexford to Dublin. I was on the road a good bit so it’s nice not having to travel as much, nowadays. There were also times when I’d have to stay over in Dublin if I had an early morning start in RTE or if I was performing at night.
Since I started nursing, I probably have more time to spend with my family as I’m not away from home as often and I’m spending less time on the road.
Do you have advice for people considering studying nursing? Or going back to study as a mature student?
Of course, I believe that everyone should follow their dream but it’s a serious undertaking for someone like myself in middle-age to go to college full-time or retrain for a new career. There are impacts on family life and you will experience a serious financial hit. You’ll be out of your comfort zone and you will face challenges. Along the way, you’ll meet inspirational people and you’ll encounter other individuals who are less than helpful. I’d advise people to weigh up the pros and cons and if you’re still prepared to face the good with the bad, then go ahead and just take it one day at a time. Remember, as a mature person, you already have a whole lifetime of experience behind you. You’ll be able to handle most things that come up. If your interest is in nursing, then go for it! It’s not easy but it can be done.
For anyone considering nursing as a career, I would highly recommend it. For younger people it’s a passport to the world and for older ones like myself who have already put down roots, we are very much welcomed and wanted as nurses here in Ireland.
For me, graduating as a nurse was a huge personal achievement. I’m so glad I took the chance and I’m proud to be a member of the nursing profession. I am absolutely thrilled to be embarking on a whole new career as a nurse in my fifties. Age really is only a number!
