Tara Coughlan

I’m from Dublin, the eldest of four siblings and I always knew that I wanted to become a nurse.

I studied nursing in Kings College Hospital, London. Early on in my training, I realised that I had a natural affinity with surgical nursing and, after I qualified, I worked in the Princess Grace Hospital, Marylebone, in a complex surgical unit.

When I returned to Dublin, I worked in the intensive care unit at St Michael’s Hospital and, later, in Mount Carmel’s surgical unit. As I have progressed through my career, it was always important to me that I was delivering the highest standard of care to my patients and also to the teams I have lead and managed. I wanted to gain a richer understanding of leadership roles and dynamics within the healthcare setting, hence my decision to enrol in RCSI’s MSc in Leadership and Innovation in Healthcare.

I had previously achieved a BSc in Nursing Management and PgDip in Wound Management and Tissue ViabilIity. I had chosen to complete both at RCSI because its proven record of educational excellence was aligned with my own values. I thoroughly enjoyed the MSc programme and found my experience very enriching. I completed my thesis on the 'Barriers and challenges that overseas nurses experience integrating into the Irish healthcare system'.

As the global healthcare landscape has changed, so too has the Irish healthcare workforce. I am aware of the challenges being experienced by our international colleagues, this led me to do a scoping review which formed part of my thesis. On the programme, I met many very interesting healthcare professionals, all of whom participated and contributed to the overall experience. The course ignited a renewed enthusiasm for learning which has continued since the programme concluded.

Having completed this undertaking, I’ve become increasingly interested in supporting and mentoring healthcare workers in their roles. Providing mentorship and support to healthcare workers is critical to the staff delivering care at the frontline.