Peter Sargent: Orthopaedic Hospital, Working Life, Healthcare

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Title

Peter Sargent: Orthopaedic Hospital, Working Life, Healthcare

Subject

Ireland; Cork; Gurranabraher; Healthcare; Occupational Lore:

Description

Peter moved to Cork in his early twenties when he had got a job as a typewriter mechanic. The job involved a lot of travel which did not suit him once he got married.
Peter left this job for a position at St Mary's Hospital as a theatre attendant. After a few years in this role, Peter successfully applied for the role of anaesthetic technician. He didn’t administer anaesthetic but he set it up what the consultants would use. He would also set up the patient when they arrived and get them ready and then the nurses would arrive. They were all female nurses. He mentions that the sister frowned on male nurses.
Peter talks of the hierarchy in the hospital and that certain staff could not talk to senior consultants. He tells a story of being reprimanded for calling a nurse by her first name.
Peter then talks about union activity at the hospital. He mentions that Gerry O’Sullivan who was the cook at the hospital was the shop steward and that Joe O’Callaghan (later became Lord Mayor of Cork) would handle more serious cases.
He recalls the social aspect of the job and mention the bars that they would frequent. Peter kept up with a lot of his collegues after retirement.

Date

15 January 2018

Identifier

CFP_SR00633_Sargent_2018

Coverage

Cork, Ireland, 1960s-2010s

Source

Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive

Rights

Cork Folklore Project

Language

English

Type

Sound

Format

1.wav File

Citation

Cork Folklore Project, “Peter Sargent: Orthopaedic Hospital, Working Life, Healthcare,” accessed March 28, 2024, https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/163.