Working Life: Niamh Connor, nurse manager

Niamh Connor, nurse manager at Beacon Hospital, Sandyford, Dublin, tells us about her typical day.

6.40am

I’ve an early start, leaving home at 6.20am and arriving at the Beacon Hospital in Sandyford, Dublin, less than half an hour later.

First off, I touch base with night staff to make sure there are no issues.

7am

I take a report from staff nurses on the ward. They update me on the patients — there are 31 in the ward — and they brief me on what kind of night they had.

9.30am

Once the handover is complete, I allocate beds for electives with the bed manager.

We have a high turnover, and can discharge up to 20 patients on a daily basis, which means 20 new admissions, so the ward can be hectic.

I accompany the consultants on their ward rounds to review their patients and get a plan of care.

Then we have a “bed huddle” where nurse managers meet to discuss appropriate bed allocation of elective admissions and also how many beds are available to ED admissions, as well as any staffing issues.

10am

I grab a coffee, after which most of the rest of my morning is spent on admin.

As a nurse manager, I’m responsible for organising staffing, for rosters and for performance reviews, as well as tackling any issues that arise on the wards.

11am

Mid-morning is usually a time for meetings, for example a multi-disciplinary team meeting to review individual patient cases.

12.30pm

Break for half an hour for lunch.

1pm

I spend the afternoon clinical on the ward as this is our busiest time of day due to patients returning from surgery.

It’s a short-stay surgical ward mainly for patients who’ve undergone minor elective surgery such as ear, nose and throat.

We also cater for patients who’ve undergone elective orthopaedic surgeries, colorectal procedures, minor gynaecological surgery, and abdominal surgery.

We also take elective paediatrics on the ward so our patients can range in age from two to 92.

3.30pm

Home time. For downtime, I enjoy the gym, meeting with friends, and shopping. I’ve a niece and nephew who live close by so I call to see them. My evenings are my own but given my early start, I’m usually in bed by 10pm.