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Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
Born in Rathcoole in 1967, and was raised in Clondalkin, a burgeoning suburb of Dublin at the time. Drawn by employment opportunities in the nearby Baldonnell Aerodrome, and local industries such as the Clondalkin Paper Mills and the nearby Guinness Brewery in St. James Street, the “Village” as it is still known today, comprised an eclectic group of people drawn from all over Ireland. Indeed, Graham Norton yielded from one such family, as his father worked in the brewery and the family lived in Clondalkin for a time.
With free secondary education only recently available, many parents had not received second level education, and few had university degrees. It is with pride and ambition that many of them sent their children to local schools, many of which were new and developing to support the swelling population.
The all-girls primary school that I attended was new. Founded in 1969 by the Presentations Sisters. My secondary school, Colaiste Bríde was founded by the same order in the 1950s. Mary Harney and Mary Kennedy are both alumni. Our teachers were young, inspirational and encouraging women. In secondary school, Mary Kennedy was a particular role model, along with Barbara Ann Wolohan. They were exceptionally capable and had a great impact on me. My sense was that they both believed in the importance of education and learning, but more importantly the intrinsic value of each individual and their ability to achieve. In a time when people were easily ‘labelled’ or pigeonholed according to ability, achievement, family background or other factors, both of the teachers gave me the feeling that they treated everyone equally, and in their class, everyone had a chance to be the best they could be. This was innate to both, fostered by their own upbringings, and both fervently believed in the potential of each individual student and did their best to support them. Indeed in 2003, Mary Kennedy, in her biography ‘Paper Tiger’ confirmed this:
“I tried to instil a sense of confidence in the girls I was teaching. I wanted them to feel they could achieve it if they put their minds to it. I don’t know how often I quoted Thomas Edison’s line to them about genius being ‘one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
While my positive experiences were undoubtedly due to some exceptional individuals such as these, and the value placed on education during this period, I would like to think that the support for the education and empowerment of women, espoused by the religious order’s founder philosophy, Nano Nagle, contributed in some way to the experience. Certainly, I found the school experience, despite the existence of various cultural norms at the time, to be generally supportive and empowering of women, and ultimately educational. My peers were often strong spirited women, who aspired and believed that they were destined for greatness.
I felt there was an open environment in my school. There was kindness, respect and an appreciation of diversity. Speaking up in secondary school, even with opposing views, was possible. Going a step too far with this or having some playful fun, might have meant a trip, on rare occasions, to the Principal’s office, Sr. Paul. However, this woman, whose joyousness and sense of humour is well described by Mary Kennedy, often explained the error of our ways with a twinkle in her eye. Nothing seemed too serious. I felt valued and supported.
“She had the gift of making others realise that life and work can be very serious but there is also a place for laughter and fun.” (Mary Kennedy, Paper Tigers 2003).
However, despite the fortune of education bestowed on this generation, the future still appeared bleak. Unemployment was at an all-time high, and for those (mostly) from a working-class background, the prospects afforded by a university degree seemed minimal. Additionally, university attendance meant fees (except for those below the means), and along with the associated costs, meant for many women like myself, university was not a realistic ambition. Influenced by two very strong women in my family, my paternal grandmother (who was a ward sister in Omagh, Co Tyrone in the 1930s) and aunt (who also trained in Omagh, and the UK and spent her career in ICU in Canada), I decided at age 15 to become a nurse and at 18 I embarked on a career in nursing in the UK.
My nurse training was also a formative experience. It was a very new hospital, where I learned the principles and importance of person-centred care, evidence-based practice, management, leadership and health promotion. The hospital was devoid of rigid hierarchy and both the nursing staff, and our teachers embraced students as equals. However, I did experience something unexpected. As a single Irish person in the group, and the ‘other’ in this environment, I endured exclusion and many personalised comments and attacks from my peers. The Irish ‘troubles’ and the stereotyping of the Irish contributed to this, and I often bore the brunt of peoples’ prejudice in this regard. Thankfully this eased and dissipated over time. I also loved nursing, and really enjoyed this as a career. Each day was so enjoyable and satisfying. The organisation of the wards with military precision, the pride that UK nurses took in their work and the exceptional trust that patients placed in you as a nurse were appealing from the first day. My love of nursing and love of learning continued when I returned to Ireland in 1989 and worked at St. James’s Hospital Dublin. Specialising ultimately in intensive and coronary care nursing, I undertook a range of courses, including a full-time degree in nursing in UCD from 1994-1997, which I funded myself through part-time work. This followed later with an MSc in educational management from Trinity College Dublin and a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of South Wales.
In practice I observed early on that while nurses are very motivated towards continuous learning and professional development, there were gaps in evidence-based practice and challenges with accessing research to support and improve practice. Moreover, Irish nursing was almost invisible in international literature. For this reason, it is with great pride that I have been part of the professional development of nursing in Ireland over the past 20 years that has largely addressed these gaps. Our all-graduate profession, and standardised approach to specialist and advanced practice are unprecedented internationally, and we are leaders in many fields of nursing, midwifery and healthcare. For my part I have tried to support the profession’s research endeavours, through teaching and research, and have also worked hard to ensure that Irish nursing’s voices are heard within the published literature. I am now Professor of Nursing, Dean, and Head of School at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin. In this role I am very proud to be leading out on the next phase of the development of the professions in Ireland.
What are your goals for this year?
My goal is to continue to support the School and the University in its commitment and full alignment with EDI principles. The School has recently secured the Athena Swan Bronze Award. My goal is to use the principles, policies and goals of both the aforementioned to continue to foster an open environment where everyone feels equal and where everyone has the opportunity to develop. It is my view that the requirements for both are incredibly important, and I am committed to challenging structural disadvantage at all levels, and to ensuring that the principles of both EDI and Athena Swan are embraced and embedded at all levels within the School.
Why do you think it is important to have female role models?
I believe that it is likely natural for women, like myself, to lean towards a role model of the same gender. While I certainly have had some incredible mentors in my career who were men, and learnt greatly from their wisdom and experiences, insightful female role models have a greater understanding of what is required for women to succeed. Moreover, they are able to demonstrate competence within a feminine framework, exuding and role modelling caring and compassion, while at the same time maintaining a professional stance. Having a female role model demonstrates what is possible for women, and it is inspiring to think ‘I can be like them’. To quote Dr. Nina Ansary who described both global gender inequality and identified inspirational women in her book “Anonymous is a Woman”: “it’s hard to be what we cannot see.”
Is there a woman during your career that has inspired you?
In my career as a nurse, there were many inspirational women. The close working relationships afforded by this career meant that nurses often shared their stories and experiences, and from this, and from close working relationships, one could easily find a role model and inspiration. In coronary care for example there were several very conscientious and capable nurses whose capacity for caring, compassion and empathy was remarkable. I have an acute memory of these nurses. I have also been similarly inspired by the future generation of nurses, when I have had the privilege of meeting or hearing about students with similar attributes, sometimes through personal encounters, or when I receive letters about students, or they are rewarded by prizes or scholarships. I am inspired and energised when others excel but also when I see professional values such as caring, compassion and a commitment to excellence in action.
I have also been inspired by many female patients and their families. Observing the grace, dignity and courage with which women endured personal suffering or that of their loved ones was truly inspirational. A mother staying vigilantly by their teenager’s bed in ICU, a wife kissing their life partner goodbye after their death, a woman who has sustained a heart attack, all consumed by grief, and yet remarkably stoic, graceful, and resilient. Indeed, their thoughts are often outward-focused, often showing remarkable caring and compassion towards nurses and other healthcare workers during these times.
However, I have to acknowledge that a major and formative inspiration were my school teachers, already mentioned, who motivated, encouraged and instilled belief. I was prompted to think back to the ‘best teacher you ever had’ in preparation for my Provost Teaching Award at Trinity College Dublin in 2015. What I learned was that these teachers were ultimately more influential than any classroom learning about teaching. I believe that my own success, personal belief in and commitment to equality, and belief that everyone should have an equal opportunity to succeed are a direct result of their early influence.
Lastly, my female friends and other ‘mothers’ whom I have had the fortune to interact with over the years have been an incredible source of inspiration and support for me. Women share their stories and their advice freely and I have been fortunate to have learned valuable lessons from many of these women.
If you could wind back the clock, what advice would you give to your younger self?
If I could wind the clock back, I would help others more, and yet know better when not to foist ideas and advice. As a child and young adult, I was ambitious and full of ideas. I constantly sought out opportunities for growth and development and yearned for challenges to offset boredom. Whether it was running away from home to find new friends at 2 and a half years old, having been promised a baby brother to ‘play with’, who could quite frankly do nothing much, and it appeared it would be a long time before he could. Or encouraging that same baby brother to receive his ‘first holy communion’ long before his time (it seemed like a good idea at the time), the skills I embodied from my ambitious streak and desire to help others on their journey took time to mature.
I would also thank people more. I have spent the last 25 years making sure that I give explicit thanks when thanks are due. However, there are also lots of remarkable women who shared their wisdom and taught me along the way that I did not thank enough.
I would also have actively sought female role models, and their mentorship and advice, particularly in my early academic career. I would have realised earlier the power of mentoring and role modelling, including my own actions, which as a teacher, can have powerful and long lasting effects.
Why do you think you were asked to participate in this series?
I believe as the first female Dean and Head of School for a decade, and one of the first female Professors in Nursing, my position is inspirational for other women. I believe it is implicitly understood that as a woman I have overcome obstacles to get to this point. I would also like to think that I have succeeded in emulating my role models and that somehow people know instinctively how much I respect, value and believe in them. I hope that it is seen that this outlook and philosophy is strongly aligned with the EDI and Athena Swan values and that I have a deep rooted commitment to fostering equality,
Do you have any parting words of wisdom for the next generation of female nurses, midwives and healthcare professionals?
“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this something, at whatever cost, must be attained.” —Marie Curie
These words of Marie Curie describe the perseverance, dedication, commitment, vision and belief which is crucial for all of us, regardless of what journey we are on. We all need to find purpose in life, and believe we have gifts that contribute to this. In a world that prizes achievement, competition and perfection, it is sometimes challenging to believe in ourselves and value our unique gifts. Purpose is often linked to achievement and advancement, rather than finding value in the more fundamental and ordinary aspects of life. As healthcare professionals, we are fortunate to have a role that can be filled with purpose and a sense of achievement. I would advise all future generations to find that purpose, enjoy what you do and be proud. It is a special gift to be able to care for others, one that is cherished and respected, and to do your utmost to see your part in this service for humanity.
Given the theme for IWD this year “Breaking the Bias”, did you experience any particular challenges of this nature in getting to where you are today?
While I have outlined my perceptions of a schooling and background that fostered confidence, self-belief and pride in the nursing profession, things that propelled me on and supported me in my journey to where I am today, I have experienced some social and cultural challenges and structural disadvantages. For example, my experiences of racism in the UK could have brought a very early end to my career ambitions. The empowerment fostered by my schooling was also dampened somewhat by economic disadvantage, perceptions of idealised pathways for women and limited career opportunities. I also found that people can be quite judgemental, and even forthright, about one's background, or their perception of it, and about decisions regarding balancing motherhood and a career. Most of these challenges affected confidence more than anything. However, by far the biggest challenge and bias that I observed was societal expectations, of perfection but also of conformity. Everyone is unique, with their own talents, abilities and potential, there is room for everyone. “We are all humans doing the best we can”. - Sharon Salzberg. It is important therefore when breaking bias, to accept and support people by providing infrastructural support, confidence building, nurturing, kindness and in a holistic way that acknowledges and celebrates our diversity and fosters human flourishing.