Today Kirsten shares her story of how Nursing took her to Bondi Beach.
For me, the drive to work in mental health nursing was to contribute to a more socially-just society. My first job was as a healthcare assistant in one of the early `community homes` for people with learning disabilities, as part of the closure of the large institutions in the early 1990s. I witnessed first-hand the stigma and prejudice aimed towards people being supported to live as part of the wider community and this had a profound effect on me.
I have never had a `career plan` (or any sort of plan!), taking different opportunities as they have come along, interspersed with travelling and studying – nursing really gives the choice to do different things. Early on, I cashed in my NHS pension to go travelling and ended up living and nursing in Australia for three years, with my community patch including Bondi beach! I went on to work as a mental health nurse for 18 years, within in-patient and community settings, adult and child & adolescent services.
A few years ago I took up post in regulation, taking the role initially of inspector, and then inspection manager, at the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This allowed me an opportunity to further develop skills in being able to see the `bigger picture`, I met many inspirational staff and patients who spoke out to make things better for others.
This time also reaffirmed to me that personal and organisational values shape the way people in an organisation behave towards each other – and that engagement and empowerment of the workforce and people who use services is the most critical component of building an open and just culture.
So – what I would pass on to nurses past/present and future is twofold – first, take a chance on taking different opportunities and, second - no matter your position, and no matter how great the challenges may seem, don`t be afraid to disrupt the status quo and have the courage to make a personal stand for what is right.