Returning Carers’ stories Orla McBride

Reflecting on her experience of the Returning Carers Scheme, Reader in Psychology Orla McBride describes the benefits as “long lasting”.

When life brings sometimes unforeseen upheaval, it can be challenging to balance career ambitions with looking after yourself, protecting loved ones and prioritising family life through a time of emotional change.

As a single parent of 2 children now aged 10 and 8, when her children were very young, Orla began an epidemiology distance learning programme at the prestigious London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to support her career progression and inform her work at Ulster. Initially supported by the School of Psychology research budget, support from the Returning Carers Scheme then enabled Orla to take on a further module.

Over the years of the pandemic, Orla – who lives in Donegal and works at Coleraine campus - found herself going through a divorce. The Returning Carers Scheme support provided the impetus to press ahead to complete the post graduate certificate and progress to the diploma.

Graduating in July, Orla explains, “Life can be unpredictable, and the Returning Carers Scheme provided me with the added incentive and opportunity to stick with a programme of learning that was tough but also good for me in so many ways. My determination to complete the course was not only enhancing my career and informing my contribution at UU, but it was also providing me with a positive professional outlet at a difficult personal time.”

The course was demanding, but with the support of the Research Director and Head of School, Orla’s completion of the programme assisted by the Returning Carers Scheme is an investment in her professional development that will inform the design of future research studies at Ulster and further enhance Orla’s teaching impact.

Reflecting on how the course, supported by the Returning Carers Scheme, has had a lasting impact on her role at Ulster, Orla continues, “Because I was boosted to keep going, right through until my studies completed this year, I can really empathise with students who are juggling coursework, home life and commuting.”

As well as supporting her to relate to students, the Returning Carers Scheme contribution helped make more manageable the demands of further study. Orla adds, “This opportunity gave me a renewed focus on professional achievement that makes an impact both at home and in work. In many ways I am even more proud of these

studies than of my degree or my PhD because I stayed the course through difficult life circumstances.”