Case studies: Charge nurse: Jonathan

Jonathan completed a two-year Accelerated Diploma in Adult Nursing, a shortened course as he already had a degree in a related discipline. He works as a staff nurse on an acute medical ward at a London teaching hospital and has worked there since qualifying as a nurse eight months ago.

My degree is in environmental science and I worked in a related field for four years after graduating, but then wanted to do something different. I completed a two-year Accelerated Diploma in Adult Nursing at King’s College London, a shortened course as I already had a degree in a related discipline.

I wanted to work in accident and emergency post-qualification, but six months to a year’s experience is expected for A&E work, so I decided to work in acute medicine, as it is similar. There is a high turnover of patients, who are often quite sick and need rapid medical attention. I get a lot of satisfaction from working with quite sick people and seeing how rapidly medical interventions can put them back on the path to recovery.

A typical day begins with taking handover from the previous shift, which involves receiving an update about each patient. I then administer morning medications, including intravenous fluids, and prioritise tasks. For example, a patient might need transferring to another ward, need a blood transfusion, need to go to theatre or have an investigation such as a CT scan or an X-ray. At 12 o’clock I administer the next round of medication and help health care assistants, if I’m free. Other tasks include taking admissions from A&E and planning discharges.

My motivation at work stems from the good teamwork we have on the ward and good leadership. I also believe nursing is a worthwhile career. I feel proud to say that I’m a nurse. Financially, the rewards are good. In London, my basic salary is around £23,000, but with extra payments for unsocial hours and the high cost area supplement, my salary is more like £28,000 - £29,000 p.a. I also like the flexibility offered by shiftwork.

The down side of the job is that it can be stressful trying to meet the needs of patients in a critical condition and trying to get doctors onto the ward and balancing this with arranging admissions and discharges. Some days it feels like you are prioritising and re-prioritising. Another frustration is that you can’t give optimal care to patients when you’re busy.

Making the transition from being a student nurse can be quite daunting. Overnight, you have to take on the responsibilities of a staff nurse. My advice is always to ask more experienced nurses questions if you’re uncertain about anything.

At the moment, my plan is to move on to a post in A&E and then I’d like to work in intensive care. Beyond this, I don’t have a fixed career plan, but the opportunities for career progression are excellent and include possibilities of working internationally, which I find very attractive.