Betty O’Donovan, occupational health nurse, AbbVie, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork

Betty O’Donovan, occupational health nurse, AbbVie, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork

7am

I get the kids ready for the day with help from my husband. I drop my son to school while my daughter walks. My son’s usual question is: ‘Have you bloods this morning mum?’, as I like to get in early and be ready for the first medical examination of the day.

9am

I start work. I carry out medicals, which allows me to meet a wide range of employees from across the site. Health promotion is a vital component of these meetings and we might discuss smoking cessation or weight-loss options, among other things.

11am

I meet with my Vitality (wellbeing) team colleagues to discuss upcoming events, such as mental health awareness training for employees, dental health checks and CPR training. This activity supports our Ibec KeepWell mark accreditation — a wellness award we received earlier this year.

12pm

I participate in our annual Week of Possibilities volunteering initiative. This is a global AbbVie initiative where our employees volunteer their time to support their local communities.

Our chosen project this year involves the refurbishment of the science facilities at St Mary’s High School in Midleton.

1pm

I go for a lunchtime walk with colleagues. We have lovely safe walkways to choose from and it’s lovely to experience nature in the middle of the day.

1.30pm

I am back in my office to offer body composition analysis to colleagues. This involves analysing a person’s body fat content, metabolic age, etc — it is a good way of monitoring one’s progress.

2pm

I finish work for the day and collect my youngest from a nearby school and head home for homework. It is great to have the opportunity to work part-time in my chosen career and yet so close to home.

5pm

I head back to AbbVie for my weekly yoga class with my work colleagues. This is a lovely way to mingle without work commitments.

6pm

I head home to make dinner and relax with the family. Some evenings I travel to the local GAA/soccer pitch and watch the kids practice or play a game or squeeze in a run with my local running club.