Garrett O’Mahony

Graduate of Certificate in Building Digital Healthcare Communities (Special Purpose Award)

Mayo

Can you tell us your name, job title and the course you studied at ATU?

My name is Garrett O’Mahony. Staff officer HSE SSWHG. The course I studied at ATU was Certificate in Building Digital Healthcare Communities (Special Purpose Award)

Can you share your career path to date?

I had worked as a Quantity Surveyor and Construction project manager for years. I am also a registered medical practitioner EMT Emergency Medical Technician and have been working on the frontline for the last 3 years on the Covid 19 vaccination campaign

What does your current role involve?

I am currently working in eHealth with the South, Southwest Hospital Group SSWHG. This new department, eHealth, was created to implement the rollout of disruptive technologies in the HSE. The current project I am working on is supporting staff at the South Infirmary Hospital with an eRostering solution. 1100 staff will require support whilst this new system is being implemented

What motivated you to start studying?

Continuous professional development has always been important to me. The Covid 19 pandemic was another main reason as the Degree course I did was 100% online.

Why did you choose this course from ATU?

I chose the course because it was 100% online and I was able to maintain a full-time career whilst studying 3-4 evenings per week

How did you find the process of studying online? What elements did you find helpful? Were there elements you found challenging?

I found no aspect of studying online challenging. The course I did had live lectures where all participated and all those lectures were recorded if one could not attend live. All lecture notes were on my online account too and it was very intuitive to use

How did you balance work and study?

I completed the degree during the Covid 19 pandemic. I started the course during one of the most stringent lockdown periods so there wasn’t a lot else to do at the time.  I was meeting people and learning so that time worked out well for me

In terms of your employer, were they supportive of your decision to study? Were there elements of the course that were particularly relevant to your current employer?

Care Compassion Trust and Learning are the 4 values in the HSE so learning is a cornerstone of HSE and CPD is actively encouraged

What advice would you have for anyone considering studying?

I dedicated 16 hrs per week to studying and did that in 4×4 hr sessions. And I did that every week. For the year. No distractions.

In what way has studied online with ATU benefitted your career?

On completion of the course, I was accepted to the Gradlink programme. This is a 12-month internship and during that time I am working very closely with senior Managers in the HSE because in time that too will be my role.

Did this course provide any unexpected benefits to your career?

I can’t think of any unexpected benefits but the main benefit has been a substantial salary increase

Did you find that the elements you were studying had practical relevance in your day-to-day role?

Every single aspect of the course I studied at ATU has relevance to my day-to-day role. The course I did was/is specifically crafted for eHealth

What were the key skills you took away from your time studying at ATU?

You must be disciplined to study online and a well-constructed course makes that task so much easier. 50% of my current work is also done online so having the experience of working in a well-structured environment has benefitted me