How long have you worked at St. Rocco's?
I started working at the hospice in 2014 so I have been here for 10 years now. I first joined the team as a Staff Nurse in our Day Care Unit and have since progressed to become a qualified Advanced Nurse Practitioner.
What do you enjoy most about working in palliative care?
Having the opportunity to be part of the hospice team is phenomenal, the job satisfaction I get is amazing and I have always had a strong passion for Palliative Care. I gave up my role as a Deputy Manager, beginning my career at St. Rocco’s Day unit and In patient unit as a Staff Nurse in August 2014. In 2015, a Ward Manager opportunity became available on the inpatient unit, and with my management and leadership experience I applied and became the Ward Manager, I then went on to be clinical lead/CQC Registered Manager. I continued to progress with my development and took on a different role within the Medical team as a qualified Advanced Nurse Practitioner.
What does your role involve?
My role involves running out-patient clinic, covering the palliative virtual ward and in-patient unit. I assess patients, request and review any investigations, and make differential diagnoses and decisions on management plans. As the care of palliative patients at St. Rocco’s is holistic, it is important to assess patients individually in all aspects of their care that might be required, following which I refer to other departments such as counseling, complementary therapy, physiotherapy, social worker or occupational therapy that may be of benefit to them. Likewise referring patients to other specialties outside the hospice and working collaboratively with community/hospital palliative team, GPs, and district nurses.
I also support the training and development of new and existing staff across the wider nursing and medical team. Under our medical director, I have the responsibility of ensuring that the medical team is always safely covered, supporting and supervising the GP trainees posted to the hospice, and teaching 4th year medical students. Furthermore, I have the responsibility of leading our current Advanced Clinical Practitioner team.
It is extremely important for me to keep up to date with my practice by attending courses, conferences, forums, and seminars to ensure the delivery of up-to-date, evidence-based practices.
To read more about our other staff development stories, click here.
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