“Becoming a Public Health Nurse was always on my radar,” according to Gemma Donegan, a Public Health Nurse (PHN) based in the Primary Care Centre in Shannon, Co Clare. Before becoming a Public Health Nurse, Gemma worked four years as a midwife and for three years as a general nurse. Along with nursing colleagues across the country, Gemma is outlining how much she contributes to the work she does and also explains the rewards she experiences: “When I was completing my undergraduate studies, I spent two weeks on community placement. I got to shadow a PHN and it was inspiring to see how she was integral to her local community.

“She knew her community and her caseload, was self-motivated and driven. I wanted that for myself. Now that I am working as a Public Health Nurse I find the staff I work with are really supportive. There is always someone to connect with and my manager is really accessible.” Gemma says there is a huge variety in her work days: “From assisting new parents during the postnatal period, to caring for patients on their end-of-life journey, and everything in-between.

 “It’s very dynamic who you are seeing and where you are seeing them. Every day is a new challenge. There’s variety in what you do but it’s not overwhelming. There is great job satisfaction. You are helping people to achieve a better quality of life and you are not just looking after the patient but their family as well. You are very much at the centre, bringing everyone together.”

The HSE public health nursing service aims to deliver safe, quality, and person-centred community nursing care for patients and is committed to promoting health and wellbeing - enabling people to live healthy and fulfilled lives. Aligned with Sláintecare, skilled nursing teams provide care in their communities while empowering patients to manage their health and promote independence. In turn, the service aims to reduce hospital admissions and facilitate earlier discharges.

The HSE Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services is currently promoting the roles of public health and community nursing to encourage more nurses to consider a career in that area. Applications for sponsorship places on the 2025/2026 Higher Diploma in Public Health Nursing Programme can be submitted between December 12 and January 16 2025. Successful candidates will commence the Post Registration Higher Diploma in Public Health Nursing Programme at University College Dublin (UCD), University College Cork (UCC), or the University of Galway.

Lorraine Cleary works as a Public Health Nurse in Grangegorman, Dublin, having previously worked in the Kidney Transplant Unit in Beaumont Hospital. Lorraine spent nine years working in Australia in various roles, most recently as a Clinical Nurse Manager.

During her time in Australia, she had the opportunity to work within a community setting. This insight led her to apply for the role of PHN: “I enjoy the autonomy of working as a PHN, managing your own caseload while also being part of a supportive team.” Lorraine has recently completed a Master’s Degree in Public Health Nursing and looks forward to the next stage of her career.

Clodagh Brackett is a Student Public Health Nurse based in Blackrock in Cork City and is attending UCC. She joined the Student PHN Sponsorship Postgraduate Programme in September and is due to complete the course in June 2025. While completing a Graduate Nurse Rotation Programme, Clodagh gained experience working in both the hospital environment and in the community: “When I complete the PHN course I’m hoping to work in South Lee, close to where I grew up. There’s a great variety of work in the community and you get lots of support from PHNs and from RGN colleagues who are always willing to help. I enjoy the autonomy in the job. You have your own caseload and there is continuity of care for the patients.”

Find out more about Public Health and Community Nursing and the PHN Sponsorship Programme