Working Life: 'Once I went out on the job, I fell in love with nursing'

Sunitha Thomas, clinical nurse manager, Radiology Department, Beaumont Hospital

Sunitha Thomas, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin Picture Conor McCabe Photography.

Fri, 23 Oct, 2026 - 02:00

Catherine Shanahan

“Some people go into nursing thinking, ‘This is the job I wanted’, but in my case, it was what my dad wanted. Because I loved him and knew he wanted the best for me, I did a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Once I went out on the job, I fell in love with the profession. Parents get it wrong occasionally, but my dad was absolutely right.

“I came to Ireland from India 25 years ago during a mass hiring campaign and expected to end up in a cardio-thoracic role based on my experience of caring for patients in recovery after heart surgery. Instead, I was sent to Beaumont Hospital, where they specialise in the brain. It was a big switch for me. I ended up in interventional radiology, which I absolutely love. I was involved in setting up our thrombectomy service.

“When I started in the radiology department, we had no means to treat acute stroke. Real change came in 2014 following a breakthrough international trial which showed that mechanical thrombectomy — physically removing a blood clot from a blocked brain artery — could significantly improve recovery for suitable patients. Our department played a key role in that trial.

“The first case I scrubbed in for after we officially became a stroke centre involved a patient whose right side was paralysed. A catheter was inserted in the groin and guided through blood vessels to the blocked artery in the brain, then a stent was introduced to remove the clot and restore the blood flow. Immediately post-procedure, we asked him to move his right side, and he could. It was as if a miracle had occurred.

“My first paediatric case involved a four-day-old newborn with a brain blood vessel malformation, whose mother was crying and apologising to the baby for his condition. My colleague and I ended up in tears too, and the consultant called us aside and said, ‘You have to be strong for the patient’. The procedure went well, and the child did well. The parents sent the child’s photographs every year to the consultant as he grew up.

“I would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that stroke is curable. If you are having a stroke, or you see someone having a stroke, please seek medical attention immediately."