My Nursing Journey: Debbie, Ward 30, QHB
Debbie is a Staff Nurse on Ward 30 at Queen’s Hospital Burton. She started her nursing journey in November 1979 and has been in nursing for just over 40 years!
“I always wanted to be a Nurse. Eight of my family members were also Nurses, including my mum who worked in theatres – I followed in their footsteps. At one stage, there were 11 family members working at Queen’s Hospital – now there’s only me left!”
“In 1979, I started working as a Nursing Auxiliary on the Care of the Elderly Ward at Jeffery Hodges. In November 1979, I started my nurse training. I qualified as an Enrolled Nurse in1981 and worked in Gynaecology, Medicine and also worked a short spell at the Derby City Hospital.”
“After working as an Enrolled Nurse for 8 years, I started the first ever Nursing Times Conversion Course – that was a distance learning course run by Greenwich University. Once I had completed this in 1991, I qualified as a Registered Nurse and within 9 months, I was promoted to Ward Sister.”
“During my time as a Nurse at Burton, I helped open the Private Patients wing in 1994 – I worked there until 1998. I also have worked in Service Improvement. In this role, I worked with a team to see how we could improve patient care and provide a better experience for hospital staff.”
“In 2006, I interviewed for a role as Ward Manager on Ward 30. I worked on Wad 30 for about five years. Unfortunately my father became unwell so I went in to a band 6 post so I could help care for him.”
“In 2018, I retired and returned. I now work 23 hours a week on the ward. I really do enjoy it, the flexibility is great and it is a lovely ward to work on.”
“I think one of my most memorable experiences I have had as a Nurse was when we had a very sick patient. We had to fly them from Burton to Liverpool in a helicopter – it was my first time ever going in a helicopter – an experience I will never forget!”
“Would I encourage anyone to come in to nursing again? Yes, yes I would! Nursing isn’t just a job, it’s a vocation.”