Martin bows out of nursing career

GRÁ FORNursing

Decision to nurse after 23 years as a mechanical engineer best decision newly retired Martin ever made

Some 23 years into life as a mechanical engineer with Irish Cement is not the obvious time for most people to pivot into nursing.

Martin Smith, however, is not most people. And after an hour chatting about a record breaking fourth year scoring the highest flu vaccine uptake rates nationally, bell ringing, Irish Cement and nursing, you begin to realise how many unexpected and surprising dimensions there are to this particular Drogheda native.

Having recently retired from a nursing career in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda, Martin reflects on not so much a job, but many jobs well done. “I loved every minute of it.”

The enthusiasm, vigour and energy in his voice sells his passion. His joy in recalling the twists in his 65 years to date, from how he got into nursing, to outlining how he went from listening to the church bells locally as a child to ringing them on the 100th anniversary of Armistice in 2018 is consuming. And then there’s the local historical tours he gives often times to introduce Indian, Italian, Spanish medical and nursing sta to the area.

His own story takes you back initially to the teenage Martin who clearly revelled in volunteer work.

“When I left school there were no male nurses in general nursing, they were in psychiatric nursing. So at 18, post Leaving Cert, I hadn’t a clue even what psychiatric nursing involved. I had been in the Order of Malta for years and I really enjoyed that – the whole caring aspect. I had been on a number of Irish Wheelchair Association holidays helping out and I got so much from that. But there seemed to be nothing there in the nursing end for me so I went o and did mechanical engineering,” he said.

Despite that decision however, Martin said he “never lost the grá or the want to do

Martin Smith in St Peter’s Church, Drogheda where he rings the church bells weekly

nursing. I applied as a mature student 22 years ago, was successful, and ended up training here in the north east. It was the best move I ever made – I loved it.” Regrets? “My only regret was that I left it so late because I loved and enjoyed it all so much.”

Martin initially worked on a medical ward for a few years and then moved to Endoscopy (Exploratory Testing) as a CNM l (Clinical Nurse Manager). “I then moved into theatre and loved every minute there too. For years I was also the Health Promotion Co-ordinator for the hospital as well. I seem to be one of those people – I don’t see problems, I see solutions and results. And maybe that’s to do with having come into the service and job later in life. I tend to be positive and have always encouraged those around me to be likewise positive and look for solutions.”

Martin acknowledges the support he received. “I was so lucky to be surrounded by great people – OLOLH CEO Fiona Brady and Director of Nursing Adrian Cleary. They were really encouraging - very professional, positive managers and colleagues.”

Five years ago Martin took on a role that was to provide a national showcase for his leadership skills

– OLOLH Lead with the Flu Vaccine Peer Vaccinator Programme. Reflecting on the programme, Martin explains that the appointment of peer vaccinators was a significant development nationally in the move to increase the number of health care sta taking the vaccine.

“In OLOLH the year before I took over, the uptake was 14%. I was working in theatre at that time and decided to take it on. As a theatre sta nurse at the time I could see the importance for me personally in that role, ensuring that I had the flu jab for the sake of my patients,” he said.

Success was swift. In their first year, Martin’s e orts, innovations and commitment pushed the uptake from 14% to 38%. By the following year it was 78% and within another 12 months it was 93%. And the following year they repeated their success with another 93% recorded.

That success led to the hospital winning the overall national award for highest uptake four years in a row – a remarkable achievement.

And while he was scoring high in flu vaccine rates, Martin also continued to move upwards within his career, taking on the role of Practice Development as a CNM ll. Martin also set up a Meet and Greet volunteer programme along with colleague Siobhan Lyons.

COVID inevitably has had a huge impact, and Martin recounts the fear and uncertainty that gripped the hospital as with every other hospital across the globe in 2020.

“For me, it was a case of being there for my colleagues and giving them every bit of information I could possibly provide on COVID and working through it. It was supporting them. For the community within the hospital, we were a team and we got through it. And of course, we don’t look back, we look forward.”

As with all healthcare sta everywhere, Martin acknowledged the commitment and inevitable exhaustion that all continue to experience and points to the resilience and dedication of all.

With a 12-year-old son, Nathan, who keeps him youthful and energised, Martin said he is very positively disposed to his retirement years. Like everyone else, many of interests have been curtailed because of COVID – and post pandemic he plans to re-engage with his love of travel.

However, he does have a pastime that is local and has not been quite as COVIDconstrained - campanology. He rings the bells in St Peter’s Church of Ireland church in Drogheda. “They are a great group of people – they have really taken me in.”

As ever, there is a story on how he discovered this particular passion. “I am from the very centre of Drogheda, from Francis Street, and the church itself is about a three-minute walk from where I grew up. So when I was a child I would hear the bells ringing every day. They were part of my growing up. So, many years later on Facebook, somebody said they hated the bells – the noise they made. So I just put up a response to say I loved them, I grew up beside them and they always gave me that warm homely feeling when I heard them.”

And then unexpectedly, he got a response from one of the bell ringers. “They invited me to come along and see the bells and the church. And that was where it all took o – for the last five years.”

A history bu , Martin said he also runs a tour of the town from the hospital.

“When we get new nurses in, if they are not local, they may be from India, Spain, Italy – I would bring them on a tour of an historical tour of the town and the Director of Nursing would come with me. And they loved it – its great because it gives them an introduction to the town, seeing things they probably otherwise wouldn’t see.”

And so to the historical moment when he formally retired last summer.

“I must be honest – I ended up su ering withdrawal symptoms - work and in particular the flu peer vaccination programme was my life for five/six months of the year. My wife would acknowledge that it was all consuming – I would be at home, maybe in bed and I would have a Eureka moment where I would think of something, like the idea for a poster and I’d sit up and I’d write it down and then go back to sleep,” he said.

And now, several months later? “I’ve been having a good night’s sleep!”

It’s clearly well-deserved as is retirement but you somehow know Martin will continue to fill his waking hours with surprising, interesting and generous endeavours.