Aoife Browne

I am one of the very lucky few who always knew what they wanted to do in life. I’ve wanted to be a nurse since I was seven years old, after a very close relative of mine passed away. I witnessed firsthand the care that the nurses from the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation provided, not just to him, but to our entire family. 

Because I was so determined to become a nurse, nothing else even crossed my mind when applying through the CAO. I studied incredibly hard for my Leaving Cert because Children’s and General Nursing was all I had ever wanted.  

Fast forward to August 2016: I received my results and found out I didn’t get the points for nursing and that day was one I’ll never forget. But now, I’m so thankful I can look back and see how it all worked out. I’m especially grateful to my mother for encouraging me to do a pre-nursing PLC course which I began in September 2016 and loved every minute of it. I’m so thankful to the College of Commerce in Cork for everything that year taught me. I worked incredibly hard and thank God I did, because it led to me being accepted into Dublin City University to study Children’s and General Nursing. 

My journey as a Children’s and General Nursing student is one I will never forget. It was rocky at times but I’m so grateful to have finally reached my goal. I qualified as a nurse in March 2022 and was lucky enough to begin my dream job at Temple Street, where I stayed until the end of December 2022. 

However, home is where the heart is. By that point, I had been away from my family and friends for almost six years. I made the decision to move back home and started working as a General Nurse in the Mater Private Cork. I’m beyond appreciative of the amazing staff I met in both Temple Street and the Mater Private; those years truly shaped who I am today. 

And now, I’m a qualified Children’s and General Nurse in the final five months of a post-graduate course in Midwifery. Midwifery was always in the back of my mind during my nursing training. I had a wonderful placement experience in the Rotunda Hospital and it really solidified my desire to pursue midwifery. Starting the Higher Diploma in Midwifery at University College Cork (UCC) is a decision I’m so glad I made. While going back to being a student is definitely tough but it’s worth it. I’m incredibly lucky to be supported by such amazing lecturers, Clinical Placement Coordinators and preceptors at UCC and Cork University Maternity Hospital. 

I want to give a special mention to my parents - without them I wouldn’t be the person I am today and that person is a nurse and soon to be a midwife. 

Finally, to anyone doubting themselves or what they can achieve: if I can reach my goal, so can you. The CAO and the Leaving Cert are not the be-all and end-all, they are far from it. If I could go back and tell my 18-year-old self where I am now and what I’ve accomplished, she would have laughed.