I started my training to become a Registered General Nurses on the 26 March 1984 and it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. My first post was in Renal Medicine where I completed the Renal Course and then General Medicine. I absolutely loved my time on the wards. I then moved into a series of Management posts. I would like to say that I planned my career however it was more a series of opportunities, I never imagined my career would have taken me to DHSSPSNI - I wonder how it all happened. I have studied throughout my career and completed a Diploma, a Bachelor of Science, a Masters and since then several Post Graduate Certificates. I feel very privileged to be a nurse and to have been able to grasp all the opportunities available. Everyday even though I am away from the bedside my work is about ensuring safer and better patient care. Is there anything I would change about my career path? Not one single thing! Good luck on yours.

From my first careers talk in school I was focused on being a nurse but ultimately a midwife and have never regretted it. I qualified as a nurse in 1977 and quickly expanded my knowledge by completing a coronary care nursing programme. I qualified as a midwife in 1982 and I just loved the additional skills and knowledge gained during my midwifery training. By being a midwife I felt I was in a very unique position to be at the birth of a baby, a most rewarding career. I gained further experience in management, clinical governance, patient safety, policy development, service improvement and project management all transferable skills. I would not change my career pathway.

I have been Chief Executive of NIPEC since July 2014. I worked at the Department of Health for 8 years before this, as a Nursing Officer and as Acting Chief Nursing Officer. Working in NIPEC and previously in policy within government was a fantastic opportunity to influence and shape things on the frontline across all services. I spent 23 years before this working as a nurse, then as a health visitor and as Assistant Director of Nursing, managing a range of community nursing services. It was in the community that I grew a passion and keen interest in child health services and a commitment to support preventative approaches through robust public health services. I also have a real belief that complex care can often be best delivered outside hospital settings in patients’ own homes where possible.