Practice Nurse

I started my very long career (32 years now) at the age of 16 with the Wiltshire Ambulance Service in the control room and as soon as I turned 21, I went out on the road after doing my technician training. From there I worked in the operating theatres as an operating theatre assistant from where I left to have children. After I had my two daughters, I returned to health care as a medical administrator and receptionist for Hathaway Medical Centre. I felt my skills were wasted so pushed to do something clinical which turned out to be Phlebotomy and Health Care Assistant. I did my Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care and loved it. I had such an amazing support network and nurse manager. I felt valued and that I could achieve whatever I wanted to. After an appraisal with my manager, I made the decision to leave Hathaway and do my nurse training, and it is something that I could never regret!

I went back into General Practice post qualification at Hathaway as a practice nurse and love it. I have done numerous extended training courses including Non-Medical Prescribing, Physical Assessment and Clinical Reasoning, Minor Illness in Adults and Minor Illness and Injuries in Children, all funded for continuing career development. I have now been at Jubilee Field Surgery using my extended skills daily for 5 years. I am so glad I took the leap and have never looked back!

My role is varied and includes Acute Minor Illness assessment, treatment, and management, prescribing, health promotion and chronic disease management. I still do regular phlebotomy which I love as well as contraception, women’s health, wound care, and vaccinations (adult and child). My non-clinical role involves writing and updating protocols, Infection Prevention and Control Lead, Immunisations Lead, appraisal, and training/supervision of new staff.

I love being able to chat with people, building a professional relationship and supporting them with their health and social care. I enjoy being an autonomous practitioner and managing my own clinics knowing I have the support should I need it.

I feel that my role is always evolving and continue to consolidate my knowledge and skills, continue to remain current and up to date and to look further into a more specialised chronic disease management accredited diploma in something like diabetes or hypertension or similar.

I am particularly proud of the implementation of nurse lead Minor Illness Management which was something I introduced when I started at Jubilee Field Surgery and is now heavily relied on and appreciated by both the surgery staff and patients.