A day in the life of a nurse in the hospital front line

As members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation geared up for emergency department strike action, nurse Mark O’Neill talked to Irish Examiner reporter Catherine Shanahan about the travails of a job he loves

My day kicks off at 6.30am. I cycle to a job I love. Everyone that I work with loves their job.

There’s no team like the team in the emergency department (ED). It’s not a place where you can coast, or where you would even want to coast. Staff in the ED have a different mindset. We’re all there to treat the sickest patients. If you want a less frenetic nursing environment, you steer clear of the ED. There are other options, like the calmer atmosphere of a nursing home.