Case studies: Adult nurse: Janet

Janet works as a nurse in a hospital in east Hampshire. She has a degree in nursing and her discipline is adult nursing. She works mainly with elderly patients on a small hospital ward.

I went into higher education as a mature student in 2003. I followed a Bachelors degree in nursing (adult branch) at a university on the south coast and graduated in 2006.

The course was especially important in enabling me to gain a broad understanding of the main academic and clinical issues concerning modern day healthcare. The placements during the course were especially useful in providing insights into the patterns of work in busy departments and the roles of other healthcare professionals.

I currently work at a hospital in Hampshire dealing with a wide range of patient services. Although I work with a small number of younger patients, the major part of my work on the ward is care of the elderly, most of whom are in-patients.

This aspect of the work involves tasks such as pain management, monitoring patients’ progress, dealing with practical care such as oxygen therapy and supporting patients recovering from major operations or experiencing conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). I also work with patients requiring rehabilitation support following relapses, perhaps from long-term serious conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.

My work placements at university were vital in helping me develop excellent communication skills, vital to a career in nursing. For example, an important aspect of my current job lies in dealing with the emotional needs of patients. I need to be able to empathise when dealing with confusion, disorientation and anxiety among patients, provide reassurance, answer questions and act as an advocate for my patients when dealing with external professional services.

The university-based study was particularly helpful in developing an understanding of multidisciplinary teamworking and nurses’ roles within teams. This has been invaluable in my current role where I need to work in a collaborative manner with other care professionals, including specialist doctors and nurses, physiotherapists, social workers and occupational therapists, in addition to being able to deal in a professional, sensitive and caring way with patients’ families or other carers. The demonstration of respect and diplomacy is essential to success in the job.

Another important element of the job is helping patients to be as independent as possible, especially as some may feel vulnerable and have little or no outside support.

Ongoing training is essential for registration and ongoing career development. A range of courses is available across a wide spectrum of specialisms such as cardiology, operating theatre nursing, palliative care and critical care.

I have a particular interest in working in palliative care and will be aiming to gain additional experience in this area before moving ahead with my career, perhaps through hospice work.

AGCAS

Sourced by Paul Barnes, University of Portsmouth

Date: 

October 2009

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