We recently chatted to Tessa Kingston who is an Adventure Therapist and operations manager with Sailing into Wellness who looks to provide a healthy natural solution for communities to look after their physical and mental well-being. Here’s the full interview: Thanks for joining me today Tessa. Tell
In episode 4 of the ICHAS Podcast, our guest is Donna Breen. Donna works as a CBT and EMDR Psychotherapist in the South of Ireland, heading a team of 6 therapists providing services to an array of clients struggling with a range of presenting issues, generally referred from local GPs
Hello! I’m Ben Malone, a lad from Lucan, and I’m a 1 st year student studying BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science at Ulster University’s Magee Campus in Derry City. So, I’m often asked; “Ben, why did you decide to #GoNorth for college
Hello students! My name is Katie Foran, and I am originally from Whitehall, Dublin. This year, I graduated from Trinity College with a BA Science (Immunology), however seven weeks ago, I decided to #GoNorth and start a degree in Medicine at Ulster University’s Magee campus in Derry. Medicine
My name is Siobhán O’Connor and I am a Lecturer at the University of Galway. My background includes degrees in information systems and nursing, with a PhD in health informatics. My job is lots of fun as I get to research new technologies nurses can use
There are few areas of study that offer as broad a base as the Social Sciences. A good social science degree can be incredibly versatile and can offer students an impressive range of employment and further study options after graduation. Social sciences are concerned with how people behave and
Meet the celebrity lecturer at Dundrum College of Further Education , who at 26 quit her desk job to follow her heart to the great outdoors. Monica Alvarez is no ordinary horticultural lecturer. She has worked in and managed some of the most iconic gardens in the country
In 2016, Amie McNamara, from Listowel, Co. Kerry, sat her Leaving Cert, with the intention of studying nursing. She wasn’t 100% wasn’t sure that it would be for her, but she certainly had the idea that she wanted to go straight to university from school. However
Craig Dunphy a former De La Salle college, Waterford student recently graduated from the rec man course in SETU in Waterford. During a time in SETU in Waterford Craig was a sport scholarship student and a member of the CFAI winning soccer club. Craig has used his experience in 
Alicia O’Leary is a Radiation Therapist (RT) and Medical Dosimetrist working in the UPMC Hillman Cancer Centre, Waterford. As an Radiation Therapist she is responsible for the safe delivery of treatment to cancer patients using high-energy X-Ray beams on a machine known as a linear accelerator
One of the main attractions of becoming a public health nurse for Micheal Power was the opportunity to look after patients in their own homes and communities. “Public health nursing gives you an opportunity to work as an autonomous practitioner with the support of your nursing colleagues and the
Healthy foods, healthy bodies Whether you are an Olympic athlete or just going about your day-to-day life, feeding and using your muscles smartly can help you perform well and age healthily. At DCU, sports science researcher Dr Brendan Egan looks at how our muscles adapt to exercise and
Niamh Power, BSC in Psychiatric Nursing Founder and Director of Youth Release My name is Niamh Power. I graduated from DCU in 2008 with a degree in Psychiatric nursing. When I started in DCU, I was on the general nursing programme. I was also playing basketball for the DCU college
Roisin McGrath graduated from The Fitness Institute with an ITEC Level 3 Diploma In Personal Training and currently works as Personal Trainer with Evolution Fitness. Why Did You Choose The Fitness Institute? Before joining the Fitness Institute I spent some time researching other organisations. I spoke to a
"I went straight from school into a man’s world. You have to grow up fast." - Jockey Ruby Walsh, Calverstown, Co Kildare. I don’t remember horses not being in my life. I got a pony, Pebbles, for my seventh birthday. I got a better pony, Flash, when
Brenda Bleach, a native of Tuamgraney, Co. Clare working in the Local Injuries Unit (LIU) at Ennis Hospital, is the first nurse in Ennis to achieve Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner (RANP) status. RANPs are the highest level of clinical experts in the nursing profession in Ireland today. LIUs are locally
Dr Gillian Murphy is a consultant dermatologist and director of the national photobiology unit at Beaumont Hospital and the Mater Hospital in Dublin. When I was at school I wanted to be an artist. However, my father, who was a surgeon, said “no, you will do medicine,&rdquo
Derek Power is a consultant oncologist, at Mercy University Hospital Cork and Cork University Hospital. My route into medicine was not the typical one because I started my career as a pharmacist. I was always fascinated with how drugs can be used to change the biology of disease and
Travel, money, meeting new people and living in new cultures... and a whole lot of sport! That is where maths has lead Jamie Clarke, an IT project manager who specialises in international sport projects such as the recent winter Olympics in Torino.Jamie tells Plus Magazine how he went from
Some 56,000 students sat the 2015 Leaving Certificate. On Wednesday they will go to their schools or log in online to check how they fared. Every year we see photos in the paper of delighted students, results sheets in hand. But what happens to them after results day? The
Caitlin Allen qualified in Acupressure Massage from the Northern College of Acupuncture, York in 2003 and obtained her BSc in acupuncture in 2005. Below she documents a typical day in her accupunture clinic. Today a patient asked me what my day was like as she was interested in the variety
"The challenge is to make the work applicable and to make the environment conducive to discussion." I lecture full-time at Athlone Institute of Technology, educating future careworkers to work with families, young people and service users such as people with disabilities. And there’s a focus on
Sinead McCool, a qualified pharmacist, talks to Smart Futures about her diverse career. What is Pharmapod? Pharmapod is a cloud-based platform that allows you to document any error or near miss that occurs during dispensing and preparation in a pharmacy, such as misreading a doctor’s handwriting or
Siobhán O’Connor talks to Smart Futures about her career as a researcher in health informatics. Your job title? PhD/Doctoral candidate studying in the area of health informatics at the University of Glasgow. What are the main tasks, responsibilities and skills required? As a PhD student
"I have run out of restaurants on many occasions when the main course has just arrived." Mary Cronin, Community Midwife My job is to attend mothers who choose to have their babies at home. This involves antenatal care, attendance at the birth and postnatal care for up to two
'Having a baby is a unique time in people’s lives and it’s such a privilege to play a small role, to help them cope with any difficulties they face.’ Pauline Foster social worker at the Rotunda hospital. There are six social workers in the
Shane O’Donnell, the Clare County hurling champion and Smart Futures Ambassador is currently studying Genetics in University College Cork. Here he talks about how he made his choices for the CAO and how he manages to balance his sporting life with his studies. Can you tell us
James Corcoran talks to Smart Futures about his career as a medical writer/pharmacologist. Your job title? Medical Writer/Pharmacologist at Firecrest Clinical, Limerick. What are the main tasks, responsibilities and skills required? I work as part of a team who create videos that explain diseases and show how drugs
Describe your typical day Dr Steve Elliman, head of research at Orbsen Therapeutics, says no two days are the same at his Galway start-up. My chief function is to manage 11 research scientists in the lab. Another role is grant writing. We’re a start-up so we
Dr Julie Doyle, a research fellow at CASALA, is coming up with ways of making life better for older people. What is CASALA and what is your role? CASALA is an applied research centre based in Dundalk IT. We look at enhanced aging using technology. Our aim is to
Grainne Dunne an ODP Pharmacist at AbbVie talks to Smart Futures about her career. What are the main tasks, responsibilities and skills required? I joined AbbVie in 2013 as a Pharmacist on the Operations Development Program (ODP). The ODP is a two-year training program offered by the company with
Smart Futures interviews Andrew Allen, Postdoctoral researcher at UCC. What's your job title? Postdoctoral researcher, Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre & Department of Psychiatry, University College Cork. What are the main tasks, responsibilities and skills required? I’m a psychologist with an interest in cognition (how people think) and stress
"What I like most about the job is the biomechanics of how the body moves. I love working out why an Achilles heel is under stress or why a patient’s hip is giving them trouble." Lorcan O'Donaille is a podiatrist who runs the Achilles Clinic in
"My feelings at the end of the day will be almost entirely dependent on how the sessions went. When I feel I could have done more for someone it is amazing how strongly my own sense of self-worth can become momentarily entangled in the day’s therapy" On
Giving an anaesthetic is a bit like flying an aeroplane: the take-off (induction) and the landing (waking up) are the two periods of tension, with a bit of autopilot in-between, says Dr Lindi Snyman ... Anaesthetists as a group are often considered to be ‘OCD&rsquo
"When injected, this radiopharmaceutical will travel to certain parts of the patients’ anatomy. Then we can use a Gamma Camera to image that part of the anatomy" - Una O'Connor, Medical Physicist It’s only 8:00am but in one hour patients will be arriving for their Nuclear
Colm Johnson is a shining example of why high CAO points shouldn’t put students off pursuing their dream career, writes Mary Phelan. Colm Johnson from Gurteen in Sligo did his Leaving Certificate in 2007. While he considered occupational therapy at the time, his first choice on the CAO
Students who did not receive their preferred option this week in Round 1 of the CAO, can consider the other possibilities and options open to them, as they await Round 2: 1. Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) and Further Education (FE) courses: Every year thousands of students enrol on PLCs either
With the summer Olympics coming up fast, I find myself enchanted by, and in awe of, the 4000 engineers that work feverishly behind the scenes of every event. The engineers that help the world’s finest athletes break world records by inventing new training equipment, better ways to measure
So you want to become a professional boxer and possibly the next world champion. Well great! But slow down. There are some essential ingredients you must have to achieve this goal. 1) Good health 2) Skill/experience 3) Condition/cardio 4) Healthy weight 5) Strong desire/heart 6) Training and
So you want to be a sports engineer? For many people, a career in sports engineering seems like the perfect way to combine their passion for sport and technology. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have established a career in sports engineering will probably agree that we are
Radiology is attracting a high number of applicants for its Higher Specialist Training (HST) programme and the Dean of the Faculty of Radiologists, Dr Adrian Brady, said that very strong candidates are applying for the available posts. Clinical and diagnostic radiology is one of the few specialties where a background