Job Title
Where are you based?
GP Surgery
Is your role clinical or non-clinical?
Clinical
When you were at school, did you want to join the NHS?
No, when I was at school I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. I did law at a level and then at university and had some work experience in a law firm and decided it really wasn’t for me!
What qualifications did you have when you joined the NHS?
GCSEs, A Levels and a degree
How did you come to work in the NHS?
My first degree was in English and Law back in 2012. I had some previous experience working on the healthcare counter in Boots prior to starting university and when I graduated there were no jobs available in my industry, so I ended up working for an online pharmacy for a few years and then training to be a pharmacy dispenser in a hospital. I loved working with patients and being hands on but my work/life balance was not good and I was not happy so in 2017 I applied for a job as a receptionist in a GP surgery as a new start. Once in the GP surgery I was able to start working with patients again with the support of my manager; I started working towards my care certificate and then was put on an apprenticeship course to become a Nurse Associate. From there I have completed the top-up course to become a Registered General Nurse and then eventually became a Practice Nurse this year.
Briefly explain your job
A typical day in my job – well there is no such thing as a typical day! It usually starts with checking the task box to see if there are any patient queries, and from there the clinics are wide-ranging and incredibly varied. Today I may see chronic wounds, suture removals, blood pressure checks and blood tests. Tomorrow I could be running a learning disability clinic or doing home visits!
What do you love about your job?
I love the variety that comes with the practice nurse role – you can shape it into anything you want. If you have an interest in a particular area such as diabetes you can choose to specialise, or you can have a mixture of a wide range of patients – from acute to chronic and from babies to the elderly.
What is challenging about your role?
GP practices are a very fast paced environment and it is difficult to catch up if you start running behind – sometimes you don’t get the time to spend with the patient that you would like. Occasionally you also get serious situations with unhappy patients or life-threatening conditions but this is very rare and there’s an excellent team around to support you if things feel out of control.
Which clinical colleagues support you in your role?
Doctors, Nurses, Healthcare Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Paramedic Practitioners, Podiatrists, Community Nurses, Pharmacists.
Which non-clinical colleagues support you in your role?
Administrators, Receptionists, Managers, Care Co-Ordinators.
Is there career progression in your role and how would you get there?
Yes the next step would be to either specialise in one area e.g. diabetes which you can complete a 2year post-grad diploma for, or there is the option to become a nurse practitioner which would mean eventually completing a masters degree.
What would you say to a young person thinking of joining the NHS?
There is such variety to the NHS with both academic and more “hands on” pathways – you can make the role anything you want and shape your own career path whilst making a huge difference to patients lives. It is so worthwhile and you will never be out of a job!