I came to nursing later in life, having moved back from France where I was working as an Estate Manager. I returned home to help look after my Dad, who had been diagnosed with lung cancer. I helped him before he died and was lucky enough to spend some special time with him.
While he was in hospital, I became friendly with one of the nurses who had cared for him after his death. We would take our dogs for long walks in the Peak District.
It was during one of these walks that I told her I was at a bit of a crossroads in my life and wasn’t sure what to do. None of my previous jobs had given me a real purpose or direction.
“You’d make a great nurse”, she said. And that was it. I sold up in France and moved back in with my Mum. I got a job as a physiotherapy assistant in Weston Park Hospital (Sheffield) while completing an access course, which allowed me to move to Manchester and do my nursing training at Manchester University.
In 2014, whilst working at the local hospice, my partner of 13 years lost his battles with 3 primary cancers. We were supported during the last year of his life by an amazing Macmillan nurse who visited regularly and with whom my partner struck up a special relationship.
I was inspired by the variety of work involved by my partner’s Macmillan nurse, and by the communication and people skills it required. I eventually plucked up the courage to apply for a post as an Associate Macmillan Nurse.
I am ever grateful to the team lead at the time for recognising the passion and determination in me and not letting herself be swayed by my recent bereavement.
'I was inspired by the variety of work involved'
Since 2015, I have worked across both community and hospital settings. I've gained experience which has given me a fantastic overview of the different challenges associated with each of these domains.
In 2018, I qualified as an Independent Nurse Prescriber and undertook training to deliver an Enhanced Communication Programme to doctors and nurses with an emphasis on difficult conversations and breaking bad news.
In 2019, Macmillan funded a 15 week intensive course in Graduate Counselling Skills. It enabled me to increase the level of psychological support I can offer to my patients.
This proved to be invaluable during the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time visits were restricted and much of our time was spent on the telephones with patients and relatives as treatments were delayed or cancelled. One of my colleagues described it as like being in a call-centre, where the phone never stops ringing and every call you take is a distress call.
Throughout the pandemic my Macmillan colleagues and I offered psychological support to district nursing teams and ward staff in the hospital. We delivered training on how to break bad news and have difficult conversations over the telephone, so that staff felt better equipped to have these conversations with relatives who were unable to visit.
'I've gained experience which has given me a fantastic overview of the different challenges'