Real life stories - Staff nurse

There is nothing quite like having a close-knit team, such as the one I’m in at the minute. You have to be a good communicator to work well in teams but you also have to be able to work on your own. So, you have to have a bit of initiative and get on and do stuff, and when you’re stuck you can’t be afraid to ask questions. I’m really happy where I am at the moment - I’m doing my critical care degree, specialising in coronary care. I would like to work on the intensive therapy unit for a while and eventually move up the career ladder and become a senior nurse, and maybe one day become an NHS ward manager - but that’s a long way down the line.

One of the advantages of being a nurse is there are so many opportunities and career pathways. To do my job, you have to be someone who loves learning because it is life-long learning when you are a nurse. While I’m still learning, I’m happy. I feel that nurses make a difference every day; it could be assisting with the resuscitation of a patient, assisting the medical staff at 3am or just listening to a person talk about their feelings regarding their diagnosis. Nursing is hard work, however nothing gives you a better feeling than being able to see a person, who on admission was seriously ill, leave hospital a lot healthier and go home.