Dublin mum retrains as paramedic in her 40s after son's scary accident
It takes someone very brave and inspiring to totally change careers later in life, and that's just what Deirdre Tuite is.Deirdre, from Dublin, is a newly-qualified paramedic after she decided to retrain in her late 40s. A former educator and mother of four, Deirdre knew she always wanted to be a paramedic, and the timing finally felt right."I always wanted to become a paramedic and always talked about it, but my husband worked shifts in ESB, so it was never the right time. You couldn't have two people working shifts with four kids, it wouldn't have worked," she explains. As the kids got older and Deirdre's husband Martin began working in an ESB office, Deirdre started to feel like now was the moment to follow her dream.Deirdre has a background in caring, as she looked after her mother for a long time. "In 2022, we were told she was palliative. I knew I'd need something to focus on when she was gone." Her mother was ill quite a lot, as she had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The ambulance had to be called on several occasions, and Deirdre was always fascinated by how quickly the paramedics could help her mother. Paramedics also saved her son Conor from a very scary situation.Back in 2020, Deirdre and her family went on a hike in Wicklow, and Conor, who was only seven at the time, slipped and fell. He got a very bad injury to his leg, and the coast guard had to airlift Deirdre and Conor off the mountain. They were both winched up to a helicopter, and from there they flew to Dublin Airport, where a National Ambulance Service ambulance was waiting for them. They were then brought to Temple Street Children's Hospital, where Conor was operated on."Seeing how good they were with Conor, and how the whole system worked together, was just amazing. I knew it was for me." Training In March 2022, the National Ambulance Service advertised that they were looking for student paramedics. Deirdre was accepted onto the course and she gave up her job of 20 years. "I worked for QQI, the national awarding body. I left a very nice, permanent and pensionable public sector job to take a leap of faith." She opted to take a career break initially, which was supported by QQI. Deirdre started her training in December 2022 and, initially, she was "terrified". "I hadn't studied in 20 years, suddenly we were talking about academic writing, literature reviews and referencing. But I loved the medical side of things."Deirdre dedicated herself completely to her studies, explaining she was first in every morning and last to leave. She kept her weekends free so she had time to see her children. Her degree took three years, and involved many exams, assignments, continuous development training, and placements working on an ambulance and in hospitals. Deirdre graduated last month with a 2.1 degree. Now that she's fully qualified, she works full time on the ambulance, and she does overtime too.She does various different shifts across the week. "I am non-rostered, so I get my rosters four weeks in advance. In a month, you'd work 13 12-hour shifts. They can be a combination of a week of nights, a week of days, or a mix of both. Usually it's three shifts for three weeks then four shifts on the last week. But you can put in for leave and rest days." Daily routine Deirdre says there's no such thing as a typical day in her line of work, as every day is completely different. Firstly, she checks her ambulance when she arrives on shift to make sure everything is stocked and accounted for. Deirdre particularly loves looking after older people."We do a lot of nursing home calls. I am very particular to make sure the patient is looked after and their advance care directive is followed. This is a form that loved ones fill out that will inform us if the patient should be transferred to hospital, whether CPR should be used. "Some people's care directives say they should not be transferred and they should be made comfortable in the nursing home. "I always advocate for my patients. I have so much time for older people. Having lost my mam, I know that her wishes were respected, and I want the same for my patients."Sometimes, patients can't be saved, which is very tough, but Deirdre says she doesn't take work home with her. "It's sad, but it's not my sadness. It's heartbreaking for the patient and their family. But I believe we are only given a certain amount of grief in our life that we can actually manage, I don't take home that sadness. If I lost a patient, I might light a candle for them on my mam's little table."However, Deirdre was called out to a paediatric arrest before and the young girl tragically died. "You can never leave that behind. That was the first and only one I've had so far, she will always have a little place in my heart." Deirdre adds that sometimes they encounter patients who don't want medical treatment, which can be difficult. "If they have the capacity to make that decision, we can't make anyone go to hospital. Only the guards can restrain patients, we can't touch them. But I could talk anyone into going to hospital," Deirdre adds.Deirdre's career change is so inspiring that her daughter Rebecca has followed in her footsteps. She is currently in her second year of training. She had been doing biomedical science in college, but she switched courses after realising she was drawn more to people than lab work. The mother-daughter duo have even worked a few shifts together, which the patients love. In fact, all of Deirdre's children noticed a change in her as soon as she started her training.She says one of her children even asked her if something was wrong because she was smiling so much. A full circle moment happened to Deirdre when she helped a young man who fell off the side of a cliff while cycling his bike. She arrived on the scene, stabilised him and launched the coast guard to come and rescue him from the mountain – just like her son Conor was rescued all those years ago.She finds that humour and distraction are some of the best medicines. "I always have a laugh with my patients. I think it's the best job in the world. We are so privileged and lucky to do it. When we knock on the door, people are so grateful to see us. Not every job is like that."Want to see more of the stories you love from Dublin Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. 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