To Celebrate International Nurses’ Day, we are sharing stories from a few of the many nurses that work in Care Plus Group’s wide range of services.
Sarah Bagley is a Tissue Viability Nurse within a small team at Care Plus Group (CPG) that specialises in complex wound management. She provides support to patients with wounds and delivers education and training to anyone who looks after patients with wounds.
We asked Sarah what got her into wanting to become a nurse. She said:
“One person that I always looked up to as a child was my grandma. She was a nurse and the whole family used to go to her when they needed any advice relating to health. She always knew what to do and was so kind and caring that I aspired to be just like her.
“She was so proud when I completed my nurse training. I would often discuss my experiences as a new nurse with her.”
We then asked Sarah what it is like to be a nurse. She said:
“Being a nurse can be emotionally and physically challenging, especially during the current climate, where we are all feeling the pressure of increased demand on services.
“I have both laughed and cried with my patients on numerous occasions, but always feel privileged to have been invited into their lives when they need support the most.
“For me, the feeling I get when I manage to heal a wound or teach a new skill to a colleague more than makes up for the difficult aspects of the role.
“Working in a very supportive team is key to my ability to manage the day-to-day emotions of being a nurse.”
Sarah continued and described some of her career highlights. She said:
“I started my nursing career as a Community Staff Nurse and very quickly developed a keen interest in wound care. A colleague from early in my career joked that one day I would be a Tissue Viability Nurse and I am very proud to have been able to have fulfilled that prediction.
“During my career I have been lucky enough to work with some amazing people, both patients and colleagues. Some of my best achievements are related to patient care. I have been able to support patients through very difficult times and have implemented care plans, which have supported them to be able to live a better quality of life.
“I have also been able to develop policies and guidelines related to my experiences which have helped the wider population by implementing best practice.
“I have loved mentoring students and newly qualified nurses. I am so proud to see many of those who I have mentored are now experienced and valued members of CPG and the wider organisations.”
We asked if Care Plus Group (CPG) has helped with her development. She said:
“I feel very supported by both my team and Care Plus Group. As a specialist nurse, it is important to ensure that I am up to date with the best evidence regarding my role, and I feel that I have been able to achieve this.
“I have been lucky enough to have progressed through many courses during my career and am currently completing a MSc qualification with the support of the Val Waterhouse bursary.”
At the end of the interview, we asked Sarah what she would say to someone interested in becoming a nurse. She said:
“I would recommend being a nurse to anyone. I have always loved coming to work and feel very supported in my role.
“Training to be a nurse is not easy and it is definitely not for the faint hearted but the skills learned are lifelong and the camaraderie felt within nursing is unrivalled in my opinion.”
We’d like to thank Sarah for this in-depth look into the life of a nurse. Stay tuned all this week for more stories on CPG’s dedicated nurses.
Are you interested in becoming a nurse?
There may be nursing jobs in our vacancies!
Click here to view our latest vacancies.
