Marie Watson: Looking after other people’s children is such an honour 

Marie Watson is a Clinical Nurse Manager with the Children’s Unit in Cork University Hospital

Clinical Nurse Manager, Marie Watson, at Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

When asked how long she has been in her current role, and indeed how long she has been a nurse, Marie Watson fakes an outraged “Ohh!” as though she had been asked directly her age, and laughs. “I have been nursing since I was 18,” she says. “That’s all you’re gonna get!”

As the clinical nurse manager for the children’s unit in Cork University Hospital (CUH), Marie is one of the senior nurse managers for the department, working hands-on as well as covering managerial duties. A large portion of her job is teaching, working with staff and students.