From A&E to the hospice: Paige’s experience as a Staff Nurse at St Ann’s

I joined St Ann’s as a Staff Nurse at the beginning of August this year, after spending just short of two years as a nurse in A&E. I was apprehensive to begin with at the thought of being ‘the newbie’ again and having to start over, but in hindsight it was one of the best career moves I have ever made!

A&E is a very stressful, intense environment and I was definitely ready for a change, although I will admit that I had some preconceptions about working in a hospice that made me feel a bit anxious. A lot of people think that a hospice is a very sad environment to work in because we look after patients at the end of life, but this is not entirely the case. The hospice is a place that provides specialist palliative care to individuals and their families with a wide range of diagnoses. It’s a happy, friendly and positive environment, full of laughter and support for patients, families and staff.

I have loved working here over the last three months, and I have definitely made the right choice moving from an acute NHS environment to the hospice. Every member of the multi-disciplinary team pulls together amazingly to give the patients the care they deserve, and I can’t wait to continue my journey here.