Dedicated nurses across Lincolnshire are sharing what they love about their work as part of a global awareness day.
#ThisNurse is the inspiring theme of International Nurses’ Day 2018 (Saturday 12 May), an annual celebration of one of the world’s most caring professions.
As part of this year’s campaign, nurses everywhere are being urged to take to social media using #ThisNurse to let people know what they are most proud of in their career and why they decided to take up nursing.
Now, health professionals from the county’s three NHS Trusts, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT), Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) and Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS), are taking up the call to action and shouting loud about how proud they are to be nurses.
Jennie Negus, Deputy Chief Nurse at ULHT said she’s most proud of the way her staff constantly strive to give the very best care they can.
“When you are a nurse you know that every day at work you are going to touch someone’s life, or that someone’s life will touch yours – that is such an amazing honour and privilege,” said Jennie, who is based at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston.
“We talk about nurses going the extra mile and we have so many amazing examples of this in ULHT, but what makes me just as proud is seeing how all of our nurses make the ‘actual’ mile important and the best it can be even before they go that little bit extra.”
Jenna Humphrey works as a specialist nurse trainer for children with disabilities at ULHT, based at St Francis School in Lincoln.
“My privileged role involves providing training for staff and carers to enable them to care for children with disabilities in the community,” said Jenna.
“Our service has ensured that children and young people who require extra care and support in their daily lives have been able to attend school and many other settings, both educational and social.
“I am very proud to say that I started my career working with an incredible team in the emergency department at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where I gained valuable nursing skills and experience that have provided a great foundation for me to build upon in my role at ULHT.”
Meanwhile, Rachel Ryder, ULHT matron at Grantham hospital said: “I’m most proud of the longevity of my career at Grantham – 30 years.
“I’ve had the privilege to be able to have an impact on patients and their families to help with their ongoing recovery.
“I am greeted on the wards by patients whose loved ones I have looked after over the years who remember me and the care I took of their families. This is the real reason we all nurse.”
Over at LPFT, Kevin Riches, Staff Nurse (mental health) based at Maple Lodge in Boston said: “I became interested in nursing as my wife was an occupational therapist and chose to move to nursing as a career change at the age of 40.
“I wanted to help put people’s lives back to where they were before their illness began, or as close as we can, working with the illness and their recovery rather than trying to cure them.”
Autism Liaison and Diagnostic Nurse at LPFT Harriet Noad said: “My role as a learning disabilities nurse has grown into a career I didn’t expect would be so rewarding.
“There are many people who spend their lives undiagnosed, they are always so grateful for us to come out for assessment and diagnosis. I feel privileged to support these people and give them answers they have never had before.”