…Case Studies

 

Dr David Kane - Consultant Rheumatologist and Physician

I began working at Tallaght in December 2005, having previously worked in other hospitals both in Ireland and abroad. The Rheumatology and Medicine Department here reflects the rest of the hospital - friendly, modern and progressive. It's clear that the merger of the three original hospitals in 1998 has worked well. I've found there is a tremendous sense of collegiality, a positive attitude that extends throughout all levels of staff and a strong tradition of high quality nursing care and a unique track record of innovation in many areas.

Competition for Consultant posts at Tallaght is stiff, as you'd expect, but for those who do succeed you'll find that standards of care and technology here are as good, if not better in some aspects, than in most other hospitals. There are also genuine opportunities to develop patient services and your own skills to the best of their potential.

Emily Ho - Specialist Registrar, Cardiology

I joined the Cardiology Department at Tallaght on the 1st of July 2006. Ours is a demanding specialty, however I have found that I really do enjoy being at this hospital. It's an extremely pleasant working environment with a really positive work ethos. Compared to other places I have worked, it is different. In particular, it's more friendly, which is not to say that other places aren't friendly, it's just that Tallaght has been a breath of fresh air in so many respects. I've found that communication, through all the different levels of the hospital, is very good and people get on very well with each other, not just in my department but across the hospital as a whole.

The Consultants are very encouraging and supportive, giving you time and attention and generally taking the teaching and training aspects of their jobs very seriously indeed. I enjoy what I do here, and it's just what I wanted at this stage in my career.

Emer Bent - Manager, Housekeeping and Patient Food Service

My history with the hospital goes back quite some time, to 1990 in fact, I began work at Meath Hospital, one of the base hospitals which merged to form AMNCH. I originally worked in Catering at Meath, I then spent a very short time in N.C.H but suddenly 3 weeks prior to our move to Tallaght I became responsible for implementing the food service to Patients at Ward Level. I was subsequently appointed to my current position as Patient Food Service Manager where I manage about 90 staff providing patient food services to the wards. In addition, I'm involved in a wide range of working groups internally in the Hospital and externally in other Professional organisations.

I think this is a friendly hospital and it's a nice place to work. There is a thriving social side and I am actively involved in the Pulses Golf Society. I see myself as a hard-working pro-active Manager mixing well as part of a multi - disciplinary team. A good rule of thumb is to 'treat people as you like to be treated yourself'. The way I look at things, a lot of my staff stay here for a very long time, which I hope suggests that we must be getting a lot of things right a lot of the time.

Catherine Dunne - Administrative Assistant in Outpatients

I was at the Meath Hospital and came to work in IT, helping with the training on the new systems we introduced when we moved to Tallaght in 1998. My job is obviously different now, and I love dealing with people and especially helping the patients. We are a very busy part of the hospital. On a typical day we get over 1000 patients coming through the Day List and I get great satisfaction from being able to assist them in whatever way I can. My job needs someone who likes all sorts of people and is prepared to work well with them. I like my work here and I'd certainly recommend Tallaght to any potential employee. If you're career minded there is plenty of scope for courses and promotion. The staff are very nice and you meet a variety of different people in every working day.

David Willow - Director of Allied Health Professions

My career here began in 1994, when I worked for the Adelaide Hospital as Head of Social Work, and with its merger into AMNCH in 1998 my job moved out to the new Tallaght Hospital.

The great thing about my work is that it's constantly changing. You don't get bored as there are always new issues to be addressed. There's a real family feel here, which I believe is based on our having very genuine, nice people. There is a feeling of equality amongst the staff, and a lot of humour which helps everyone get along. The 'Main Street' in the hospital (the huge central corridor), is, literally, a meeting place. You can't walk along it without being stopped on either a professional or personal basis. While it may seem a cliché, there is a tangible feeling of commitment and an ethos of care for patients and their families which has been passed down from the base hospitals into this new site at Tallaght.

One other thing which I feel is important is the sense of community in Tallaght. It's a lively area and the hospital gets much of its vitality from the people who live and work around it. This is good for us here in the hospital, and in turn this is good for the larger population that surrounds us.

Amanda McDonagh - Ward Clerk

I previously worked in Tallaght Hospital as a secretary before switching jobs to work in retail. I then re-joined the staff here in September 2005. I came back because it's a great place to work with a good team atmosphere. Now, I work in Lane Ward, which is a specialist urology ward. There's never a dull moment here, the ward is well structured and very efficient. It's easy to get on with all the doctors and nurses and the rest of the staff are great too. We do have a good laugh in amongst the serious work and I'm very happy in what I do. When you're walking about the hospital you seem to know everyone, they're all friendly and stop to say hello. You also get to know and like the patients. We really do help each other out and I definitely think the team spirit at Tallaght is far superior to what you'll find elsewhere.

Ollie Fitzgerald - Porter, Pharmacy

I love working here. You're either made for this kind of work or you're not, and I am. I began working with Tallaght as a Ward Attendant, right at the start of the hospital, in 1998. I'd previously worked at St James hospital and before that I'd been a milkman for many years. My job is very busy and brings me into contact with virtually everyone at the hospital. There's not much time to stop as every hour I have to make a delivery round the hospital and then when I return to the Pharmacy Department there is always stocktaking and ordering to be done. You still get some time for craic with the others though and we're a very sociable team in Pharmacy, with lots of events for the staff during the year - not just once at Christmas like a lot of other places.

I remember the hospital being built and it is great to see how the infrastructure of the area has changed and developed over the years. There are fantastic opportunities to come in here, do a good job and then progress into other areas of the hospital's work. I don't know what else I would do to be honest - it's just a great place to work, with great people and a great working atmosphere.

Caitriona Gowing - Senior Clinical Pharmacist

I've been at AMNCH for nearly a decade, beginning as a pre-registration pharmacy student in 1998 and then as a qualified pharmacist since December 1999. The best thing about my job? Definitely the people I work with. I've worked across a lot of different departments in the hospital and currently am predominantly working in ICU. There is a real esprit de corps here, an excellent team ethos, both professionally and socially, within pharmacy and the wider hospital community as a whole. The tone is set from the top down and although there has to be a hierarchy in an institution like a hospital, the managers, and indeed everyone else, strive to treat everyone equally.

The hospital is a nice size, big enough to do lots of exciting work, yet small enough to care and be friendly. Perhaps one story illustrates this. I was on-call when I received a very early morning request to get to A&E. The taxi driver, thinking this was life or death and obviously enamoured with ER re-runs, got me from the town centre to the hospital in about 10 minutes, showing a creative regard for the traffic regulations! The great thing was that the consultant who had called was there, waiting, taking responsibility and ready to discuss the case with me, which is not something you'd necessarily expect everywhere. I do believe that this demonstrates exactly the kind of friendly, collective camaraderie that makes this such a good place to work.

…more than just a workplace