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.
Nicola Woodcock is the newly appointed lead nurse at Cambridge Inpatient Unit (CIU), previously Cambridge Park. She has worked there since April 2022. Prior to this, she was a team leader within a community setting. Nicola has a special passion and interest in End-of-life care and tissue viability.
We asked Nicola what got her into wanting to become a nurse. She said:
“I wanted to be a nurse since I was a teenager and worked as a healthcare assistant since 2000. My dad died of cryptogenic fibrosing alveoli in 2006, he received no palliative care and my family received no bereavement support. This came to shape my own practice as a nurse when I qualified in 2011.
“I have spent a lot of my career supporting and treating patients at end of life, and I hope to have been of support to their loved ones.”
We then asked Nicola what it is like to be a nurse. She said:
“Every day is different as a nurse. It is important to take the rough with the smooth and to take a moment for yourself at the end of the shift. This can be to reflect on if a difficult situation has arisen or if something has gone well.
“There is pressure to get it right for the patient, to ensure care plans devised are tailored to the individual’s needs. This must be monitored and evaluated to ensure it is effective. Nursing can be physically and mentally challenging, but it is a huge honour to be part of a team that can offer support to patients and relatives, for which some may feel are the most vulnerable points in life.”
Nicola continued and described some of her career highlights. She said:
“Highlights have been, coming to Grimsby in 2018 working in the community and then the CIU, where in both settings I have had superiors believing in my practice and pushing me to develop further into leadership roles. By doing so, I also gained qualification in V150 Community Practitioner Nurse Prescribing.
“Another highlight for me was working under and alongside many outstanding healthcare professionals, in which who have influenced my own practice, including tissue viability nurses, team leaders, GP’s, palliative care nurses.”
We asked if Care Plus Group (CPG) has helped with her development. She said:
“I do feel supported within my role. CPG does offer many opportunities of development; I have seen many colleagues within many different roles being supported into new roles and being given opportunity to attend training across the organisation.”
At the end of the interview, we asked Nicola what she would say to someone interested in becoming a nurse. She said:
“You are as good as the last nurse and as good as the next! I have worked with many people who wish to undertake a nursing qualification. Often people are reluctant as they ‘are not smart enough’ or ‘not confident enough’ – This was me once!
“Nursing is a continuous journey where we are always gaining knowledge and experience.”
Are you interested in becoming a nurse?
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