DCU Voices

2021 EDITION 45 ALUMNI PROFILE Emergency Response It’s been a hectic year for emergency department nurse and INMO President, Karen McGowan, writes Shauna Bowers. After graduating from General Nursing in 2008, Karen McGowan went to work in the emergency department in Beaumont Hospital, and worked her way up to advanced nurse practitioner. She is now the voice for nurses and midwives, having been elected President of the Irish Nurses and Midwives’ Organisation (INMO) last October. “The emergency department is definitely a hive of activity all of the time. It was an extremely busy environment and as students we were very well supported,” recalls Karen. “I really enjoyed the busyness, I loved the variety of patients arriving every day and the fact that you were always learning something new. Every day is a school day.” She began to upskill while working, undertaking a postgraduate course in emergency nursing in the RCSI and completing several other diplomas. “I would definitely consider myself a lifelong learner and it all started in DCU. It gave me the foundation,” she says. The role of healthcare workers has become particularly valued since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. “In the first wave we were all watching on as our European counterparts were struggling in extremely difficult circumstances,” says Karen. “We were very nervous, it was all very haphazard. There was a shortage of personal protective equipment and I witnessed how fantastic my colleagues were, working so hard.” Now, alongside her job in the hospital, she also leads the union which represents nurses and midwives in Ireland. “Overcrowding is gradually creeping back into the system and this is extremely dangerous for patients as well as those caring for them.” “Back in October I was democratically elected as President and previously I was on the executive council. I would have gotten involved with the INMOwhen I was a student. That’s where it started,” she said. “I’m very excited about the role and I relish the opportunity. It’s a fantastic role.” What does she intend to focus on during her tenure as President? Ensuring the return to a 37.5 hour working week is something she is keen to achieve. “And I will continue to be the voice of nurses and midwives by focusing on health and safety within the workplace,” she says. “Overcrowding is gradually creeping back into the system and this is extremely dangerous for patients as well as those caring for them. More work needs to be done getting a recovery plan for those nurses and midwives who are recovering from long Covid.” As well as working on the front line during the pandemic, and being elected President of the INMO, Karen also gave birth to a baby last October. “I think it’s good for people to see that you can have a family and also be a professional,” she says. “Nothing is sacrificed, it’s just about working around it.” Shauna Bowers (BA Journalism, 2018) Journalist with Irish Times Group @shaunabowerss KarenMcGowan (BSc General Nursing), President of the Irish Nurses andMidwives Organisation