Donna Hodgetts, 45 from Wednesfield, is a newly qualified nurse practitioner at Kingfisher Berkley Practice in Walsall. Here she explains why she chose to become a nurse in general practice and how nurses are an important part of delivering care in primary care.
Why did you decide to train as a nurse?
I first decided to train to be a nurse after my husband had a tragic accident at home where he accidently cut his throat and very nearly lost his life. Watching the trauma nurses at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham try and save his life, I knew in that very instant I wanted to become a nurse. I was 41 when his accident happened and a year later decided to start university, which is something I am extremely proud of. I was slightly worried about going touniversity as a mature student, but I never felt out of place and there were lots of other maturestudents on my course too.
How did you find your nurse training?
I have four children, three boys and seven-year-old daughter, so balancing studying, placements, assignments, with my home life was difficult, especially in my first year. During mytraining, I really enjoyed my placements in hospital, particularly on the cardiac unit and the acute medical unit, and I felt like I could really make a difference to patients’ lives. However, it was challenging at times, and whilst I enjoyed giving care to my patients, I sometimes felt like I couldn’t give the care I wanted to give due to staffing issues and time constraints, which was a little frustrating. That’s when I started to wonder how patients got to be so poorly and could anything be done to prevent these conditions from happening.
What made you decide to join primary care as a nurse?
In my third year of training, I was offered an elective placement in primary care through the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB). As soon as I started my placement, I knew instantly that I wanted to work in general practice. I absolutely loved building relationships with regular patients, and being able to offer a friendly face and preventative healthcare advice was where I could really make a difference.
As soon as I went into primary care, I began to have a greater understanding of how a healthier lifestyle, diet, exercise, not smoking, reducing alcohol intake and preventative screening could all impact on a person's quality of life. By educating a patient to make healthier choices and to part-take in eligible screening programmes, it could reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases, strokes and cancers.
After my first day on elective placement at New Invention Health Centre in Walsall, I knew straight away this was for me. I felt excited and had that spark back for nursing which I hadn't had since starting uni. Towards the end of placement, I got offered an interview at Kingfisher Berkley Practice in Walsall, which I knew was the right decision for me and my family. On my final day at my placement, I received confirmation I had passed my final assignment from the university. I was overjoyed and couldn’t believe that I had done it. All those tears and long hours, and I had finished my degree. A couple of hours later, I got offered the position as a practice nurse. Just thinking about that day brings tears to my eyes. I was so happy, so proud of myself and I still am.
I will be forever grateful to Liz, Marcelle and Claire at the Black Country ICB and Lisa Clarke from New Invention Health Centre. I fondly remember saying to Liz on my first day at the ICB, ‘I would love to be a practice nurse, but I understand it's not possible’. She replied ‘Donna, it is!’. I had continuously been told I needed to work on a hospital ward to gain experience and that there are no practice nurse vacancies, let alone any vacancies for newly qualified nurses. I was also told that by joining primary care I would de-skill, and that I would be bored, which has not been the case.
How are you finding your role?
It's been more than six weeks since I started as a practice nurse and I have enjoyed every day. Every person from the nurses, healthcare assistants, doctors, management and admin staff have all been so wonderful and supportive. We have a lovely team and some lovely patients. Two of the kindest nurses and our healthcare assistant have taken me under their wing. I am learning new skills daily, while still utilising my skills from a hospital setting.
I am hoping to complete my Fundamentals of Practice Nursing programme next year and gain much more confidence in my new role. I feel valued an enjoy being part of such a supportive team. Together we can all make that difference to our patients lives. I've got a good work/life balance, I am doing my dream job in a lovely practice where I feel like I’m making a difference to patients, and I'm very happy.
What would you say to someone considering a career as a nurse in general practice?
Just do it. It’s never too late, no matter what your age is. Nursing is a very rewarding career and working in primary care is so varied. I love being able to support patients through preventative work, screening, managing long-term conditions and general practice nursing. No two days are the same and there are opportunities to develop knowledge, expertise, and confidence, with amazing support.
