Having first opened its doors in 1915, Bon Secours Hospital Cork has a long tradition of providing medical and surgical care. Today, The Bon Secours Health System is the largest private hospital network in Ireland.
Leading the way in advanced medicine and exceptional care is Bon Secours Cork Cancer Centre, the most advanced private cancer centre in the region providing a full range of oncology services including Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, Hormone Therapy, Clinical Trials, and Palliative Care.
Given that the hospital’s reputation for excellence is so well known, it’s not surprising to learn that the teams working there are capable, dedicated and highly qualified.
Dona Jose has been a clinical nurse manager II in oncology for the past two and a half years. Dona came to Ireland from India six years ago and worked in hospitals in Dublin and Sligo before coming to work in Cork.
Dona’s experience here in Bon Secours Hospital Cork has been positive from the outset.
“I came out of the interview feeling that everyone was lovely and very professional,” she says.
“I felt the same sense of warmth there, as I do when I’m in my friends’ homes.”
Clearly, Dona impressed the interview panel as much as they impressed her: She must have, as she got the job.
“When I started working at Bon Secours Hospital Cork, I felt I was among family,” she says.
Highly trained, Dona has a master’s degree in oncology and psychology and is currently studying palliative care.
“The more you learn the more beneficial you are for the patients,” she says. “In that way my studies help me to be a better nurse everyday.”
As she talks about her job, her compassionate nature is apparent.
“In my oncology work, I meet patients who — when they first get a diagnosis, are in fear. Because it was not something they were expecting, there can be a fear of the unknown.
“Very often these patients are treated and cured. But whatever happens, our hospital team is there for them when they need us most.
“They can go through tough times, but as they become more familiar with the hospital team, they talk with us about how they are feeling and they share parts of their stories.
“That sort of familiarity builds up trust. Trust can bring a comfort of the sort that can replace fear.”
For Dona, being able to be with someone going through a difficult time is the most rewarding part of nursing. The part that gives the most satisfaction.
“I feel we nurses become the patients’ extra hands and legs, as we help them go through their treatments,” she says.
“Then when we tell them what they might expect to experience day-to-day, they are reassured.”
Dona is passionate about the importance of healthcare workers being prepared to work outside of their comfort zone, in order to experience working in areas they might not originally have considered.
She says: “You won’t know what it’s like to work in a particular area until you’ve done it for six months. I recommend people give it a try to see the job satisfaction it might bring. If you find you have a love for it, a passion for it, you won’t turn away from it.”
On the vital importance of teamwork in healthcare, Dona says: “A love for the work we do is something I have in common with everyone I’m working with now.
“Whether newly qualified or highly experienced, that shared feeling brings us close to each other. We look after the team as we look after ourselves. This helps us to be the best we can, when looking after the patients.”
Dona’s view and experience of working in healthcare is that it is ‘amazing.’ “No other area gives you the same opportunity to help people and to stand with them when they are in need.
“You go home happy, knowing that you have been able to do something for someone that makes a positive difference in their lives. This is rewarding work.”
In recent weeks, Bon Secours Hospital Cork has been recruiting for nurses, including clinical nurse managers and clinical nurse specialists. Oncology in particular offers endless career advancement opportunities as well as a large nurse education bursary. This along with a top salary and benefits package, make the hospital the ideal ground for growing your nursing career.
To learn what roles are available at the hospital right now, see:
