AN Irish nurse has used the power of social media to hit out at poor conditions forcing nurses to emigrate from Ireland.
Aoife Butler, who works as a psychiatric nurse in Waterford, took to Facebook to share a photo of her and her three friends - Sharon O'Connell, Rachel Mason and Catherine Brooks - walking to work in the snow.
"More examples of those who braved the weathers to walk to work, but this picture tells more," she wrote in her post directed at Health Minister Simon Harris to whom she hit out over pay and conditions for Irish hospital workers.
The 20-something said that most of her nursing friends were planning to leave Ireland next year to work overseas, where 'our quality of life will be much better'.
She added: 'Because you see, yes we are well-educated nurses with well-known degrees.
"But we are also the kind of people, who even though our pay does not exceed our work, and the benefits we get are not the same, we put on our boots and walk miles to work to prioritise patient care."
"This is a picture of four of the many nurses in the Waterford services that are also in the middle of industrial action to highlight the poor working conditions, with over-crowding and under-staffing.
Ms Butler, who is newly-qualified, described psychiatric nurses as being at the 'bottom of the pile'.
"This is a picture of four psychiatric nurses who had to walk to work because being psychiatric nurses we are bottom of the pile in regards to lifts by emergency personnel.
"Because for some unfortunate reason people must think, people's mental health goes away when the snow comes. Or maybe we are not seen as 'real nurses'.
"As a newly-qualified nurse I’ve learned so much already about this country and how we are valued. But still, we put on our boots and walk to work.
'There are the kind of nurses you are losing to other countries."
The post has attracted thousands of comments, over 38,000 likes and more than 12,ooo shares to date.
Dear Simon Harris,
More examples of those who braved the weathers to walk to work.
But this picture tells more.•...
Posted by Aoife Butler on Saturday, March 3, 2018
