Mountcharles woman swaps her desk job for flexibility and fulfilment in healthcare

A Donegal woman who swapped her desk job to be a community carer says there are massive rewards in helping others.

Katherine McIntyre from Mountcharles, now in her 60s, once worked in offices but now enjoys great flexibility working as a healthcare assistant.

Katherine splits her time between community calls with the Irish Wheelchair Association and day services at a local hub for people with intellectual disabilities.

This career change was sparked by a Health Service Skills course which Katherine completed in 2022 with Donegal Education and Training Board’s (ETB’s) Further Education and Training (FET) Service.

After 26 years at Hospira (which closed in Donegal in 2006), followed by other office roles, Katherine felt a pull towards something more meaningful.

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“I just felt I wanted to do something different, something that was more meaningful, something that was on the move rather than sitting at a desk typing all day,” she said.

“I saw the Health Service Skills course and thought, ‘That’s something I want to get into because I feel in helping people, in giving, you receive.’”

The two-year part-time programme, which Katherine did in Donegal Town, combines classroom studying with work experience to give students a QQI Level 5 certificate in modules such as Care of the Older Person, Anatomy and Physiology, Nursing Theory and Practice, Care Skills and Care Support.

The demand for carers is high, as Katherine and her classmates quickly discovered.

“They are crying out for people,” she says. “You are never going to be out of work in this job. I could work seven days a week if I wanted to.”

During their first year, the class received visits from the HSE, the Irish Wheelchair Association, and agencies like Home Instead, all eager to recruit.

Katherine joined the Irish Wheelchair Association part-time while still in her second year of studies. “I thought to myself, ‘Now that I have the practical experience, I want to keep my skills up. I didn’t want to wait another year to begin working.’”

Katherine was already equipped with a good level of work experience before entering employment. The Health Service Skills course requires 60 hours of practical work, which Katherine completed at Harbour Lights Nursing Home in Killybegs.

“I learned an awful lot there,” she recalls. “The management, staff nurses, and HCAs were all very good. It was great to learn the theory and then put it into practice. It totally makes sense why you do what you do.”

Skills such as hand hygiene and infection prevention and supporting the staff nurses all come into the daily shifts while caring for the older person.

Katherine says she was keen to learn as much as possible.

I always said to the staff nurse, ‘If you are doing anything different, let me know. I’d love to learn from it.’ I like to learn, and you never know when something might come up and you need it,” she says.

On completion of the Health Service Skills course, Katherine was delighted to achieve distinctions in all modules but one.

She praises her tutors, Elspeth Vaughan and Edel Kehoe Campbell, for their support.

“It had been a few years since I was studying and writing up assignments, but they always gave good direction, so you are improving every time,” she says.

“There was great support through the guidance, and if you had any issues, you could have counselling. There was language support for those who did not have English as their first language.”

Since completing the course in May 2024, Katherine has found great variety and flexibility in her community care role.

“I have about 10 clients in the community that I visit in the mornings and evenings,” she explains. “One day you could be going from 7 am to 9 pm, but I find the day flies in. I love the flexibility; I can suit my schedule to myself and just give notice if I am not available one day.”

Katherine still meets up with her classmates who have gone on to work in other settings or have opted to continue training.

“Of course, some people realised the programme wasn’t for them and that’s part of it. With any course, sometimes you do the theory, and then you have to put it into practice before you see it’s not something you want to do. Like nursing, it’s not for everyone.”

For those who are interested in healthcare, Katherine recommends the programme as an ideal starting point.

“It was a really interesting course,” she says. “If you like caring for and helping people, you'd really enjoy it. The work is interesting and varied, with built-in flexibility.

“This sector works for people in all walks of life. Quite a few of my colleagues have young children, and they can work around their schedules.

“And if you find the healthcare assistant role is not your thing, there are other streams to go into like special needs assistant or nursing.

“If I weren't my age, I might have gone into nursing. The options are there, but I figured by the time I finished nursing school, I'd be ready to retire!”

Katherine’s course is just one of the many full and part-time courses offered by Donegal ETB’s FET Service – you’ll find their full range of courses across the county on their website, where you can also apply online at any time: www.donegaletb.ie/fetcoursefinder.