Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent with The Irish Times, finds she has to prioritise the stories in a very busy area
My working day in the office begins sometime between 10.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. unless I have had an early marking, such as when a new report is being launched or when there's a Dáil health committee meeting.
Before I get to work I will have listened to Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio One and had a look at the front-page headlines on different papers.
When I get to work, I sift through the Irish daily newspapers and scan some others like the Guardian if time permits. I also get the headlines from the New York Times emailed to me.
I check breaking news websites and have a look at news agency stories on the wire to see if there have been any new health studies launched abroad or stories that could have an Irish angle. Then I check my phone messages, post and emails.
If I haven't been given any set story or follow-up story to work on, I will set myself a list of things to do and check ongoing stories such as the A&E crisis to see if there have been any developments.
I then make lots of calls, catching some people straight away and leaving messages for others to get back to me. Sometimes I will also get a tip off about a report which has been circulated before publication. For example, I was tipped off about the Royal College of Surgeons' report on Cavan Hospital recently.
I don't have any set lunchtime. If I'm very busy I'll grab a sandwich from the canteen. If not, I'll got out for a coffee and sandwich with a colleague or occasionally meet a contact for lunch.
Health is a very busy area and although people often ask me how I come up with new stories all the time, the reality is that there are always more stories to write about than any one person can do. So it is a question of prioritising.
Sometimes a story will break during the day which becomes a major one such as the Róisín Ruddle case, the baby who died after she had been sent home from hospital following the postponement of her heart operation.
Usually I gather as much information as I can on a story and start writing sometime between 2.30 p.m. and 3 p.m. I feel it's more important to concentrate on a few major stories rather than covering several smaller ones.
One of the buzzes of journalism comes from being part of a story unfolding or even being the first on the story.
I try to get out of the office by 7 p.m.- 7.30 p.m., although occasionally I find myself finishing up at about 9 p.m. if there has been a major story.
No working day is the same as there is plenty of variety. It's the absence of routine which makes it enjoyable.
Everyone is interested in health as we will all get sick at some point and have to use the health service.
The health sector is also one of the largest employers in the Republic, with almost 100,000 people working within it.
The debates between different interest groups, recruitment, value and pay of staff in various sectors and the medical politics that goes with that, together with the fact that the biggest health service reform programme is now underway, makes it an exciting time to write about health.
(Interview by Sylvia Thompson)