Working life: Laura Hackett, fertility nurse at Limerick Fertility

I’m a big fan of yoga so I get a good 40 minutes in before leaving for work. It’s easier to get up as the mornings get brighter.

7.30am

I head into the clinic, a satellite of the Waterstone Clinic, and my first task is to go through the scan diaries.

We opened in 2014 and it makes all the difference to our patients. They no longer have to travel to Cork for scans or consultations, just for egg collection and embryo transfer.

8 am

My first hour is spent carrying out ultrasound scans to ensure women about to embark on fertility treatment are at the optimal point of their cycle. It’s an opportunity for them to ask any outstanding questions.

9 am

Patient consultations get underway. This morning a couple who were among our first clients return nine months after the birth of a gorgeous baby boy.

They are keen to have another child and they have an embryo in storage.

When they got pregnant with their first baby, it was the result of a single embryo transfer in an IVF cycle and the remaining embryo was frozen. They are hopeful this will result in a sibling for their son.

We discuss their treatment plan and arrange the schedule and medication for treatment.

12.30pm

The fertility team sits down and we conduct a conference call with our Cork Centre where patient queries are discussed. We exchange updates on various patients’ progress with the focus on maximising their chances of success. We also discuss any upcoming patient information seminars.

1 pm

I get out and about for a stroll if the weather is nice. The clinic overlooks the People’s Park, so it’s a lovely part of town.

2 pm

Nurse consultations get underway. I sit down with patients for about an hour to discuss when treatment will start and what medication the patient will be required to take and what the treatment cycle entails.

4 pm

I check to see if there are any patient concerns that need to be addressed before going home.

The clinic stays open until 5 pm but I finish earlier because of my early start. We stagger shifts to facilitate our patients.

After work

Yoga is back on the agenda in the evening. I’m meeting with a friend today and we’ll have a cup of tea and a bun before heading to yoga class to de-stress.

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