John works as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in mental health (C.M.H.N) based at Waterford Mental Health Service. He qualified as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse in 1982 from St. Otteran's nurse training school Waterford, with honours and went on to train as a Registered General Nurse at Waterford Regional Hospital, qualifying in 1985.
His clinical and nursing experience encompasses a variety of hospitals, locations and grades including staff nurse acting CNM1 and 2, and community mental health nurse in services at Friend Psychiatric Hospital North London, the development of a medium secure unit catering for forensic patients from the North Thames catchment area, the acute and community mental health services in Waterford Regional Hospital and Mental Health Services.
His post registration educational achievements include a Diploma in pharmacology at the faculty of nursing R.C.S.I in 1988, a Diploma in Higher Education in Professional Development in Nursing from the University of Ulster in 1998, a Bsc,(Honours) in Nursing in 2001 after completion of studies at Waterford Institute of Technology and an MSC in Nursing (Honours) at the Royal College of Surgeons Dublin in 2003.
Together with his colleague Angela Cocoman Senior Lecturer, D.C.U. they have facilitated many workshops and seminars throughout the country on best practice in relation to intramuscular injection and have published a number of articles on the subject.
He is a lifelong trade unionist first becoming involved with the St. Otteran's P.N.A. Branch committee in 1989, and was elected Branch Chairman in 1990 and served in that position for 13 years. He was a member of the P.N.A. National Officer Board for 5 years as the regional representative of the South Eastern regional committee.
In 2008 as one of the official PNA candidates for the PNA he was honoured to be elected by nurses, to represent the Clinical Nurse Manager grade in mental health nursing on An Bord Altranais (The Irish Nursing Board). He is the first psychiatric nurse to be elected as Vice-President of An Board Altranais.
