My Working Day: Martina Marron, clinical nurse manager in the stoma care department at Cavan General Hospital, feels privileged to get to know her patients
I work in the area of stoma care. Some people with bowel and bladder disorders require surgery and, as a result of that surgery, they will have an opening in the bowel or urinary system going to the abdominal wall.
Those patients will wear an appliance to collect waste on the abdominal wall. My role as stoma care nurse is essentially caring for patients and their stomas.
There are also other conditions affecting the bowel that my patients suffer from, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
The service in stoma care has been available in Cavan General Hospital for almost 10 years now. As we are a relatively small hospital, the stoma care service is available here three days a week - Monday, Wednesday and Thursday - and I work those days.
As a clinical nurse specialist I need to have extensive knowledge and skills in the area of my specialty.
In my role I provide a service to inpatients with stomas, as well as outpatients, and also provide a limited home visiting service for people who are unable to visit the hospital. As well as hands-on care, I am also responsible for the education and empowerment of my healthcare colleagues with regard to the care of patients.
I keep up to date with the latest developments to provide evidence-based practice. There is also a lot of clerical work involved, such as booking appointments for patients and writing support letters for medical cards.
I feel I am privileged because I work with patients for long periods and am able to develop close relationships with them. That they can lift the phone when they are at home and having that link is very reassuring for them.
Psychological, as well as physical, care is important in the management of stomas and this sometimes extends to family members depending on the circumstances.
There is a lack of awareness in Ireland about bowel cancer, even though it actually kills more people each year than breast cancer. At some stage in our lives most of us will experience problems with our bowels.
People shouldn't panic if they have diarrhoea or constipation as very often they are just the symptoms of common conditions but ongoing symptoms should be checked to rule out cancer.
If bowel cancer is detected early, it can be treated very successfully but because of embarrassment people often put off discussing their bowel problems with their GP.
I absolutely love my job because no two days are the same. It's challenging and very rewarding.
In conversation with Danielle Barron