Carnlough lecturer leading by example on Covid-19 ward

Jacqui McAllister is a Health and Social Care lecturer at Northern Regional College (NRC) and has taken on the additional role in the Covid-19 wards by way of support for her students. Jacqui, who teaches full time in the college’s Newtownabbey campus, admitted her family were “horrified” when she told them that she’d be working on the frontline, but felt it was something she had to do. She joins dozens of students from the college and Newtownabbey campus in particular, working as healthcare assistants in hospitals, nursing homes and in the community during the pandemic. “How could I teach my students about compassion and courage if I wasn’t prepared to do it myself?” the mother-of-one said. “We’re all in this together and, by stepping up myself, I hope I’m modelling best practice to my students. With so many of them working on the frontline, it’s only right that I should do the same. “It’s a frightening situation to be in. I’m frightened, but the patients are also frightened. Some of them are very ill and their families cannot visit them, so we sit with them, hold their hand and talk to them. It’s not for everyone and it can be very emotionally draining, but there is great support from the nurses and all the other staff.” Once the seriousness of the crisis became apparent in March, Jacqui, who studied Public Health at Masters level, got in touch with a recruitment agency. “I signed up with the agency on a Tuesday and before I was allowed to work, I had to complete 23 online modules, get references checked and Access NI clearance. It all happened very quickly, and I did my first shift in the Covid ward that weekend.” Jacqui has completed three long shifts so far, getting ‘fit tested’ before each one to make sure she’s fit for work. She is continuing to do her ‘day job’ at the college and works Monday to Friday, delivering classes and online support to her students. Her 13-hour shifts in the hospital on her weekend off comes at a cost, since this means that she has to completely self-isolate from her family and live in separate accommodation. Earlier this year, Jacqui was shortlisted for ‘Further Education (FE) Leader of the Year’ at the UK Tes FE Awards in recognition of her work to spearhead the expansion of Health and Social Care courses available at NRC. Her efforts have resulted in a steady enrolment increase over recent years culminating in over 220 students studying Health and Social Care courses in the current academic year. “As we’ve seen in recent weeks during the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare staff really are at the frontline, providing care and support to the most vulnerable people in our society. By equipping our students with the necessary skills to provide the best possible care, they really can transform lives.” With an ageing population and a reduction in public resources, the healthcare sector faces growing problems with increasing demand for home care packages. Jacqui predicts that this demand will only grow, creating more opportunities for those interesting in pursuing a caring role. “The Health and Social Care courses offered by the college can provide a pathway to success,” she said. “Our students can progress from Level 2 all the way up to Level 5 knowing that working for accredited qualifications can greatly improve their employability and career prospects.” -- A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so. Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely. You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.