Having retired in January 2022 from my role as a chief nurse and director of services for older people and those in the community, across the Western Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland, my aim has been to come back to nursing practice clinically (rather than managerially), working in hospitals close to home (Southern Trust) and hopefully enjoying the experience of being part of a clinical team once more.

So I’ve spent a good part of March and April refreshing my training and key clinical skills prior to starting out again in practice, firstly during May in Loane House, South Tyrone Hospital, Dungannon (my last time working there as a nurse was in March 1989 (as a term 6 student!); and then in June, working in Craigavon Area Hospital, starting in the Acute Medical Unit and then also in 1 South Medicine.

It’s been a daunting and challenging experience, I have been nervous before and during shifts and often asked myself, ‘can I still do this safely?’, but I’ve been supported and encouraged, had my questions answered and mentored each step of the way. For this I am very grateful to the colleagues I have worked with, people (mostly) whom I had never met prior to May. One of the essences of nursing is collegial support, I’m pleased to say I have experienced this, and while I reckon I’ll need 6 months of experience to get to the level of confidence and competence I need, I’m feeling now that this is achievable.

The picture I have included alongside this post is me and our second daughter Katie, herself a registered nurse, and working in the emergency department – I wonder will we ever work a shift together!