Meet The Team: Eilis McCarthy

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EGG DONATION NURSE COORDINATOR[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

What is Your Job Title:

Fertility Nurse Specialist and Egg Donation Co-ordinator at Waterstone Clinic, Ireland’s largest independent fertility specialist

Where did you study?

I attended St Patrick’s Girls’ Primary and Secondary Schools on Gardiner’s Hill, Cork. I’m a registered general nurse and registered midwife with a HDip in Midwifery studies from UCD. I did my general nurse training at the Cork School of Nursing in the South Infirmary-Victoria Hospital and I trained as a midwife at the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital, in Dublin.

Do you have any Hobbies?

In my free time, I enjoy walking, reading, travelling, and also spending time with my family and friends.

Describe your Job in Five Words:

My job is rewarding, fulfilling, satisfying, interesting and supportive.

Describe Yourself in Five Words:

I am kind, friendly, caring, motivated and hard-working.

What is needed for this kind of Work?

For this kind of work, you need to be supportive, you’re advocating for your patients and so you have to be dedicated to the care of your patients and you also need to be a good communicator, listening to your patients is of the utmost importance.

When did you join the Waterstone Team?

I started working at the Waterstone Clinic (previously the Cork Fertility Centre) around 14 years ago.

Describe a Typical Day at Work:

My day starts early, usually beginning with scans on patients who are in treatment. I will then spend some time answering emails and calls. In my role as egg donation nurse co-ordinator, I liaise with our link clinics to organise treatment cycles, scans and follow-ups. I meet with the medical team over the morning to review certain cases and arrange treatment plans. The afternoons are usually spent then in consultations with couples to discuss their treatment options and arrange the tests that are needed in advance of treatments.

Do you work in a Team or on your own?

I am very lucky to be able to work within a highly motivated nursing team. As we are one of several teams within the clinic, I also work very closely with the medical, embryology and andrology teams as well as with administration and household staff.

What are the Best Parts of Your Job?

For me, the best bits of my job are definitely meeting individuals and couples, getting to work closely with them, establishing a relationship with them and being part of their journey to become parents and start a family. Another highlight for me is when I get to meet parents later on down the line, with their new babies. Being a part of their journey makes my job worthwhile. When treatment hasn’t been successful on the first attempt, I find it even more important to be there to support and comfort my patients.

Any Final Thoughts?

My role as the egg donation nurse co-ordinator allows me to meet couples who may have been told in the past that they have very little chance of having a baby. My job gives them the chance to explore the option of egg donation treatment and hopefully to allow their dream of becoming parents a reality. The role that I play in egg donation gives hope to couples and individuals who may have thought that there were no other options for them in having a baby and starting a family.

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