Judy is a nurse with over 40 years’ experience she is currently the Senior Sister in the Day Surgery Unit within Swanage Community Hospital. Judy has had a variety of roles during her career. She is respected for her knowledge and passion for theatre nursing.
Here is Judy’s story..
I Was 18 when I went into nursing and started straight after finishing my A levels. I would not say that I always wanted to be a nurse and did look at Physio or radiology but because I was to get a small salary as a nurse that seemed more attractive but I knew I wanted to work in healthcare .
I never thought I would be still nursing now but I can honestly say that I have never come to work and thought that I didn’t want to be here.
It has never been boring and I have loved the challenges and feel I have always put the patient at the centre of my job and tried not to lose sight of why we are here. I went for at the time, an alternative training and went to Northwick Park Hospital Harrow from Weymouth. I shunned the major teaching hospitals for a brand new research hospital.
We did our SRN final exams after 2 years with the third year management and specialities. We were called pre-registration nurses. We were running wards at night doing drug rounds nearly everything a trained nurse can do. My first ward was a gastroenterology ward and exciting times with ruptured gastric ulcers and bleeding oesophageal varices which you don’t see now days so much scary for a new staff nurse.
I then did an Intensive Care and Coronary Care ENB course and this was at Royal Sussex County Hospital Brighton. This was where the first community Defibrillators were put in place and I was taught by Mr Douglas Chamberlain on my CCU course so had a very thorough grounding in ECG’s. {You can find him on Wikipedia and Google} I have also worked in ITU at the John Radcliffe Oxford and also Bournemouth Hospital. Also the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney where I worked in Neuro ITU.
When I moved to Swanage back in the late 80’s I worked across at Bournemouth for a while when soon found me in Swanage Hospital where I have stayed. Here I started to develop my skills as a theatre and MIU nurse. Swanage hospital has ‘got under my skin’ and I am really keen that it keeps going for our local community who are all so grateful and complimentary about the care they receive.
My greatest achievements have been at Swanage. Turning the DSU into a self-contained unit with dedicated staff and managing a wonderful team I know everyone one of them are as keen as I am to maintain high standards. Being part of the team to develop endoscopy and achieving JAG accreditation.
I worry about the future at times but want to ensure future nurses have the opportunities to work in community hospital settings working alongside acute hospitals and supported by surgeons who want to work in community hospitals. I was recently told by one surgeon that the staff are happy everyone is keen and enthusiastic and everyone treats the patients as individuals and goes that extra mile.
I am proud of the work we do here.
We are proud to have you here at Dorset HealthCare Judy