Page 23 - QARANC Vol 20 No 1 2022

airway, what their vent settings are, what inotropes they’re on, what their blood pressure targets are, heart rate targets are etc. These patients weren’t just slightly sick ICU patients, they were probably the sickest patients I’ve ever looked after.
A: After the pandemic, I feel like all the nurses I’ve chatted to they’ve all had a shift in perspective. Do you think you’ve changed the way you see nursing?
H: I think the public and other medical professions, maybe don’t always appreciate nursing as much as they should. I am an ICU nurse, we know a lot about physiology, how stuff goes on. It’s hard in intensive care and the nurses are intense because they have to be. They are so focused and have a lot of responsibility on them.
A: What’s a word that you would say would describe the pattern the last four years of your nursing career?
H: Just one? Versatile. You know, I don’t think I need to explain anymore.
A: What skills do you think, have got you through the past four years?
H: I am a very quick learner and I pick things up quickly. I make mistakes, but I learn from those mistakes and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
A: You’ve had such a broad range of experience from stroke, acute medicine, intensive care nursing and now you’re at Paeds, so where do you think you’ll go from here? If not Health Secretary, I’ll be sad.
H: I always say the best politicians don’t want to be politicians. I like kids, so I think I’ll stay in paediatrics, and I really like babies. People say, “You’re going to struggle with parents,” but I love working with the parents... when they get to hold their babies for the first time in ages, or their babies are on the ventilator, and you get them out and they get to hold the baby. I love intensive care and I’ll probably stay with the job and see where it takes me. I would like to work in the community one day because that is where nursing is going.
A: In your podcasts, you always ask the question, “What do you think makes a nurse?” so I’m going to throw it to you now.
H: I think nurses are resilient, we’re constantly faced with different things, from poor staffing to lack of resources, or you’ve got a really sick patient and an angry family member, we’re able to adapt to all of it. If you do have an episode of burnout, it doesn’t mean you’re not resilient, it just means that you haven’t found those coping strategies for that particular situation. What I’ve also learned is that a nurse is someone who wants to be a nurse. If you don’t want to do it, you won’t get that sense of reward and pride in the job. In my opinion it’s so worth it, and I’m sure every nurse I speak to will agree entirely. That’s kind of why I did the podcast to try and highlight the good parts of the job and change the public perception of what nurses are, you know, we are so much more than a doctor’s side hand or sidekick – we are professionals in our own right.
The Gazette QARANC Association 23
Feedback...
“I’m currently studying my access course with a hope to start children’s nursing at university in 2022. This podcast is so insightful about the world of nursing and has made me even more excited about the journey ahead! Thank you Hannah”
“I’ve just started listening to your podcast. I’m an ICU nurse in York. I qualified 6 months before the pandemic and I was teaching other staff how to use ventilators, looking after level 3 patients. It’s been so hard. It’s nice to hear other people’s experience”
“Hi Hannah! Just wanted to stop in and say that I LOVE your podcast. Your voice is so calming and welcoming and your messages inspiring!”
“I’ve been after a nursing podcast for a while and so glad I’ve found yours. It’s so interesting. Thank you for making it!”
“Your podcast has given me that spark for nursing again.”