Gerry Agnew

I’m a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist working across three Dublin hospitals.

We need to keep up-to-date with the latest medical developments and education is a lifelong commitment for doctors, and consultants like me are addicted to study. A postgraduate course injects new energy and expertise into our work. It takes us out of the everyday clinics and theatres, allows us to hear what other medical professionals are doing, exposes us to the latest research ideas and drives new motivation and enthusiasm. 

We get great ideas from networking with our classmates and colleagues. One day, I was operating with one of my trainees and she told me about the MSc in Healthcare Management at RCSI. “Do you not have enough on your plate?” I joked, but she explained how it had helped her look at the 'bigger picture' in hospitals; I thought it would do me good to put time and effort into a course that would help me see things from the point of view of managers instead of clinicians, so I signed up.

The course ran on a part-time basis over two years. I was thrilled meeting so many different health professionals including nurses, doctors, pharmacists, physiotherapists and managers. It was a great opportunity to see Irish healthcare from many different perspectives and, perhaps best of all, I learned more about how to bring about positive changes to Irish healthcare.