There are moments in recruitment that remind you exactly why you do what you do, and recently we experienced one of those moments at 3Q Recruitment. This year, 23 employees from our wider temporary healthcare workforce successfully transitioned into permanent employment under one contract with Children’s Health Ireland (CHI). Between them, they represent approximately 150 years of combined service with 3Q Recruitment, reflecting years of loyalty, experience, professionalism and commitment to supporting healthcare services in Ireland.
What makes this achievement particularly special is not just the number of employees progressing into permanent careers, but the relationships we have built with them over the years. Recently, some of our departing employees visited our Dublin office to say goodbye to the 3Q Recruitment team. They arrived carrying flowers, chocolates and gifts, not because we were presenting them with farewell gifts, but because they wanted to thank our office team for the support and friendship they had received throughout their time with us. It was a wonderful gesture that meant a great deal to everyone in the office and reminded us that the relationships we build with our employees extend far beyond filling shifts and managing rosters.
And before anyone wonders what 23 permanent appointments meant in recruitment fees, the answer is simple. 3Q Recruitment charged no permanent placement fees for these transitions. For us, this was about celebrating our people’s success and recognising the contribution they have made over many years.
The People Behind 150 Years of Service
In healthcare recruitment, we often measure performance through shifts filled, vacancies covered, hours worked and staffing targets achieved. Those figures are important, particularly when reliable staffing is essential to maintaining healthcare services, but they only tell part of the story. Behind every shift is a person who gets up early, travels to work, supports colleagues, develops their skills and takes pride in doing a good job. Many of our temporary employees have worked with us for years, becoming familiar faces and trusted members of the hospital teams they support.
Four individuals in particular represent the dedication, professionalism and loyalty that have made this year’s achievement so meaningful.
Susan: Eight Years of Dedication and Recognition
Susan has been part of our temporary workforce for eight years and has consistently demonstrated the care and professionalism that are so important in healthcare support services. During her time with 3Q Recruitment, Susan received our Temp of the Month Award following a wonderful Google review left on Children’s Health Ireland’s website recognising her contribution. For someone to take the time to publicly acknowledge an employee’s work is a wonderful compliment, particularly in a busy hospital environment where so much important work happens quietly behind the scenes.
Susan’s recognition reminds us that every role in healthcare matters and that kindness, consistency and excellent service can leave a lasting impression. It is people like Susan who demonstrate why healthcare support services are such an important part of the overall patient and visitor experience.
Mary: Ten Years of Specialist Healthcare Catering Excellence
Mary has been with 3Q Recruitment for ten years and is a previous recipient of our Temp of the Year Award. An exceptionally skilled healthcare chef, Mary has specialist training in preparing meals for a wide range of dietary requirements, including ketogenic diets. This is an important area of expertise within hospital catering, where therapeutic diets can require precise preparation, specialist knowledge and careful attention to individual nutritional requirements. Not every chef has this level of specialist training, and Mary’s experience demonstrates the high calibre of professionals working within our temporary healthcare workforce.
Hospital catering is about far more than preparing meals. It involves food safety, nutrition, dignity, patient wellbeing and understanding the importance of delivering the right meal to the right person. Mary has spent years developing these skills, and her dedication to maintaining high standards is something we are incredibly proud of. She represents the specialist knowledge, experience and commitment that our healthcare catering professionals bring to hospital services every day.
Sofia: Ten Years with 3Q and One of the Faces of Our Business
Sofia has also been part of the 3Q Recruitment family for ten years, and her relationship with our company has a particularly lovely history. Back in 2020, Sofia featured as a cover model for one of our company brochures, helping us showcase the real people behind 3Q Recruitment. We have always believed that our employees are the best representatives of our business, and having Sofia feature in our marketing was a wonderful way to celebrate that.
Six years later, we are now celebrating another important milestone as she progresses into permanent employment with CHI. For me, Sofia’s story demonstrates why recruitment should be about building lasting relationships rather than simply filling vacancies. Over ten years, people become more than names on a staffing system. We get to know them, support their development, recognise their contribution and share in their achievements. Seeing Sofia take this next step in her career is something special.
Tolani: Ten Years of Being the Person We Could Count On
Anyone who has worked in temporary healthcare recruitment knows that managing an on-call service can be challenging. Hospitals need reliable staffing support, sometimes at very short notice, and unexpected requests can arise at any hour. Over her ten years with 3Q Recruitment, Tolani became one of those employees our on-call team was always delighted to hear from. If we needed help covering an urgent shift or supporting a different location, Tolani was someone who would do her very best to assist.
Her flexibility, willingness to travel and commitment to helping the team made an enormous difference over the years. She was the kind of person who made a difficult on-call shift that little bit easier because you knew she would help wherever she could. People like Tolani are invaluable in healthcare recruitment because they understand the importance of teamwork, reliability and supporting essential services when they are needed most. After ten years with us, we are delighted to see her progress into permanent employment, although I suspect our on-call team will miss her more than most!
A Farewell That Meant More Than Words
One of the most memorable parts of this experience was having some of our employees visit the 3Q Recruitment office before beginning the next chapter of their careers. They brought gifts for our office team as a way of saying thank you and goodbye, which was particularly touching because it is usually the employer who organises a farewell gift. To have our employees arrive with flowers, chocolates and presents for us was something very special and a lovely reflection of the relationships developed over the years.
For our recruitment and operations teams, who spend their days coordinating shifts, managing last-minute requests, answering calls, supporting employees and solving problems, gestures like this mean an enormous amount. Much of the work involved in temporary healthcare recruitment happens behind the scenes, and it can be demanding, particularly when supporting services that operate around the clock. Having employees take the time to acknowledge that support was a reminder that the relationships we build are appreciated and valued.
We shared smiles, photographs, memories and good wishes, and although we will miss having these wonderful people as part of our temporary workforce, we couldn’t be happier for them. These are the moments that make working in recruitment so rewarding and remind us that the real measure of our work is often found in the people whose careers we have had the privilege of supporting.
Temporary Healthcare Employment Can Open Doors to Permanent Careers
Temporary employment is sometimes misunderstood as being less valuable or less rewarding than permanent employment, but our experience at 3Q Recruitment demonstrates that this is simply not the case. Temporary healthcare jobs provide opportunities for individuals to gain experience, develop specialist skills, build professional relationships and explore different working environments. For some, temporary employment offers the flexibility they need at a particular stage of life, while for others, it provides a pathway into a permanent healthcare career. Both choices deserve recognition and respect.
The transition of 23 employees into permanent positions with Children’s Health Ireland demonstrates the career opportunities that can develop through temporary healthcare employment. With approximately 150 years of combined service between them, these individuals bring extensive experience, valuable skills and a strong understanding of the healthcare environments in which they work. Their employment status has never defined the value of their contribution, and their progression into permanent roles is something we are proud to celebrate.
Supporting Children’s Health Ireland Through Specialist Healthcare Recruitment
3Q Recruitment is proud of its longstanding relationship supporting Children’s Health Ireland with temporary staffing solutions, particularly within hospital catering and healthcare support services. Providing reliable temporary healthcare staff requires more than simply filling shifts. It involves careful recruitment, compliance, training, ongoing employee support and a clear understanding of the standards expected within healthcare environments.
Our employees play an important role in supporting essential services, and we are proud of the experience and professionalism they bring to their assignments. When temporary employees progress into permanent roles, they take their skills, knowledge and established working relationships with them, creating positive outcomes for the individuals, their colleagues and the wider healthcare organisation. These 23 appointments are a wonderful example of how temporary healthcare recruitment can contribute to long-term workforce development.
Twenty-Three Permanent Careers, Without a Single Placement Fee
As a recruitment business, commercial success is important because it allows us to invest in our employees, develop our services, provide training and continue supporting healthcare organisations across Ireland. However, I have always believed that a recruitment agency’s success should also be measured by the opportunities it creates, the relationships it builds and the positive contribution it makes to people’s lives.
In this instance, 23 temporary employees have progressed into permanent employment, representing approximately 150 years of combined service with 3Q Recruitment, and not one permanent placement fee was charged by us for these appointments. We were proud to have supported these individuals throughout their time with us, and we are equally proud to see them take the next step in their careers.
There is a commercial side to recruitment, of course, but there is also a human side, and that should never be forgotten. Sometimes the greatest return is knowing that someone you have worked alongside for many years has achieved something important to them. For us, these 23 career success stories represent far more than a recruitment transaction. They represent years of trust, teamwork, commitment and shared achievement.
When Our People Succeed, We Succeed
I want to personally congratulate all 23 employees who have transitioned into permanent employment with Children’s Health Ireland during 2026. Thank you for your years of dedication, your professionalism, your flexibility and the contribution you have made to the healthcare services we support. To Susan, Mary, Sofia and Tolani, thank you for the memories, the commitment and the wonderful examples you have set over the years.
I also want to recognise our 3Q Recruitment office team, whose hard work, patience and dedication help build the relationships that make moments like these possible. Successful healthcare recruitment is never just about one person. It takes a team working together, supporting employees, responding to client needs and maintaining the high standards that healthcare services deserve.
And to the employees who took the time to visit our office, bringing gifts and good wishes, thank you. Your kindness meant more than you probably realise. We may have said goodbye to 23 valued temporary employees, but we are celebrating 23 people moving forward in their careers, and that is something we can all be proud of.
Twenty-three people, approximately 150 years of combined service, zero permanent recruitment fees and relationships that will last long after the final shift.
Because at 3Q Recruitment, putting people first isn’t simply something we say. It is something we work to demonstrate every day.
