Sinead O'Connor

I qualified as an occupational therapist in 2012, and went to the UK for three and a half years. I saw healthcare being run like a business, where data was captured and coded. 

When I moved back to Ireland in 2016, I saw there was a huge difference between us and our nearest neighbour. 

I became interested in management because I knew that I wanted to bring about change in healthcare. There is pressure here to improve quality and services, but I didn’t feel that I had the skills and knowledge framework.

My own manager had studied for a MSc in Healthcare Management at RCSI and spoke highly of it. I had already worked as a clinical tutor and, through a diploma in education, had learned how to deliver education online. 

From the outset, it was clear to me that RCSI really understood hybrid learning and online teaching. Every assignment involved identifying problems or issues at work, and moving towards solutions. Through a module on costs in finance and budgeting, I did a cost-benefit analysis at my place of work, St James’ Hospital, which would improve things day-to-day. In one module, we not only learned what organisational culture is and how it influences the workplace, but also how we could help to shift and improve it. There was lots of reflection on leadership and on ourselves as leaders. 

Indeed, with every module, I could see a relevance to my day-to-day job. I also gained skills that are important for healthcare consulting and private industry. 

There was a great spread of health professionals from different countries and backgrounds, including a person who worked in procurement and another in operations and finance. There were opportunities to collaborate, which was very reflective of the fact that, in clinical settings, you will have to work with other disciplines and on teams where people have different backgrounds and perspectives. 

From this course, I’ve been able to bring about change in how multidisciplinary teams communicate with one another, leading to more certainty and less stress for patients. 

During the course, I got married, my father passed away, and I was pregnant in the run-up to results. But RCSI, and especially my supervisor, Derek, were very accommodating to what I needed.

From the skills I’ve gained, I have been able to implement real change in my hospital, including running workshops on quality improvement. I can go to meetings without feeling intimidated or put off by the terminology; instead, I am confident and can keep up, understand, lead and - perhaps most importantly - advocate for change.

I’m now starting in a new role, supporting dementia patients. I know I couldn’t have gotten here without the terminology, skills and confidence that I gained on this course. I see the benefits every day. It was the best course, personally or professionally, that I could have done.