A Donegal woman is enjoying the daily rewards of being a healthcare worker after taking the step of retraining in her 40s.
Tracey Lynch from Burt did a Healthcare Level 5 part-time course with Donegal ETB’s Further Education and Training (FET) Service during the pandemic.
She had been working from home and caring for her children for the previous 12 years. In 2021, she decided to explore what career options she would be interested in.
That decision transformed her life and her career.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to do something in a caring role,” Tracey said.
“I had done a childcare course in 2018, but I wanted a new pathway. I knew I was able, I just needed to get the confidence to go out to do it.”
Tracey was encouraged to contact Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB). From that initial phone call, the staff helped her identify which course would suit her goals, skills and personality traits.
“I wondered what I was doing going back to school at 47 years old, but from that call right through to getting registered was unbelievable, they were brilliant,” she said.
Tracey decided on a two-year part-time Healthcare Support course, delivered online by Donegal ETB’s FET Service through their Letterkenny Training Centre.
“It was the best thing I ever did in my life, I loved it and I love the work now,” she said.
The blended learning format suited Tracey perfectly. With three children at home, she could dedicate two evenings a week at home to the online lessons with assessments then taking place in the centre.
“It was such a fantastic way of being able to work around home life and childcare,” she said.
The Healthcare Support programme teaches Care Skills, Safety and Health at Work, Care of the Older Person, Infection Prevention and Control, Palliative Care Support and Customer Service modules, among others.
Tracey also gained practical support doing assessments and exams.
She said: “I left school at 16, so handing in assignments was a major one for me having been out of education and having never done a Leaving Cert. Now, I would be confident doing this in any course. You need to prove to them you did your research and when you did research you found out new knowledge you never had before.”
Tracey’s lecturers, Henry Sproule and Anne Tinney, are both experienced nurses with a huge wealth of knowledge to share. Tracey soon realised that some of that knowledge couldn’t be found in books.
“We received the best of training, more information than we probably needed as healthcare workers. I was competent but also full of confidence when I went out to work,” she said.
“Anne being an experienced nurse in the hospital, was able to give us advice on end-of-life care and how to speak to families. I remember having a lovely experience with one of my patients on a night shift, when she came to end-of-life, it was lovely to know I was saying the right thing.”
During the course terms, Tracey got part-time work with a private home care provider, Bluebird Care. Donegal ETB accepted this as Tracey’s work practice, which is a key element of the course. The placement proved invaluable as Tracey could compare her on-the-job experiences to the course material.
“Bluebird were great, they were very supportive and gave me the nights off when my course was on because they knew I was committed,” she said.
“Also when you are qualified, you get a better rate of pay, you are more confident in your work and you are more valuable to your employer because you are trained.”
One of the main benefits of healthcare roles is flexibility, allowing staff to balance their work around other commitments, such as family life, study or other jobs.
Tracey says her job brings great rewards, alongside more poignant moments.
“You build a lovely relationship not only with clients but with their family members. You become part of their everyday life, and it’s lovely to know that you are visiting someone who might not see anyone else that day. You may have a basic care plan for a client, but the most important thing is having a wee chat and checking in with them,” she said.
“There are extremely sad parts to it too. When you lose a client, it’s heartbreaking but there is also a lovely knowledge, knowing that you made them comfortable and provided them with the best level of personal care you can to give them a good quality of life.”
Tracey and her classmates became “the greatest bunch of friends” over the two years and still keep in contact. Many went on to work in nursing homes, residential care settings and home help.
“There was a lovely interaction between everybody and we thought so much of the lecturers,” she said.
“All the staff were so patient. I’d like to thank the ETB, all the staff and Anne and Henry for their professional support and encouragement.”
Tracey’s journey to becoming a healthcare support worker is an inspiring example of the power of education, and she is keen to highlight how much it can change someone’s life.
She said: “I had never heard of the ETB before doing this, but after my course I’m telling everyone about them. I sent a cousin there and now she’s a bus driver!”
If you’re thinking about changing career, upskilling or reskilling in 2024, Donegal ETB’s FET Service currently has a wide range of full-time, part-time, online and evening courses available around the county.
Check out your options on their website (https://www.donegaletb.ie/fetcoursefinder) or if you want to talk through your options, contact their Adult Guidance and Information Service by calling 074 9178088 or complete this form and they’ll get back to you: https://www.donegaletb.ie/further-education-training/adult-guidance/.
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