Nursing roles are more specialised today than they have ever been, yet with hard work you can still rise quickly up the career ladder.

As a voluntary aid society worker attending major events, I was incredibly impressed by one particular nurse who was treating some critically ill people. She worked independently, setting up IV drips, and I was amazed how quickly she could help patients.

From then, nursing became my goal. In 2007, I completed my full-time diploma in adult nursing. I felt adult nursing would open up more career options long term. Critical care or emergency nursing was always my ultimate aim: I like to get in there and make a difference to patients quickly.

After working on a urology ward, I switched to mental health as a trainer and discovered my passion for teaching. Since then, I’ve moved up the career ladder quite quickly.

As lead resuscitation officer for a mental health trust, I work with around 1,800 staff across the inpatient units. Anyone from consultants, nurses and healthcare support workers to psychologists, social workers, porters and housekeepers might attend my teaching sessions.

Most mental health nurses don’t have much emergency care experience, so I enjoy being the specialist who can provide reassurance for them in and around a medical emergency.

I feel very valued and supported in my role and I work on my own, splitting my time equally between teaching and clinical governance. At any given time I could be answering clinical and best practice queries by email; teaching CPR sessions; handling cardiac arrest debriefs, or auditing resuscitation equipment.

Nurses are highly valued by the NHS: my employer supported my Certificate in Teaching in the Lifelong Skills Sector and is now supporting my part-time BSc, providing both funding and study leave.

I mainly work office hours and flexi-time is a bit of a bonus. I can also work from home on a secure NHS laptop and keep in touch via Blackberry. I’m rarely in the same place two days running as I cover 52 sites, so the car allowance comes in handy. Best of all, I get 28 days annual leave: my friends on 20 days are so jealous!

Looking to the future, I could return to clinical practice as an A&E senior charge nurse, or head into management and help shape policies that have an impact on patients trust wide. For now I enjoy combining both elements, so I’m not making my mind up yet.

I just couldn’t imagine doing anything else: in nursing I’ve found a career that offers the chance not just to teach, but to do so much more. 

Nursing roles are more specialised today than they have ever been. Flexi-time is a bonus, I can work from home on a secure NHS laptop and keep in touch via Blackberry.