A day in the life of Donna
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Career background:
I qualified from university with a Diploma in Adult Nursing in January 2003 and worked at Pinderfields Hospital for three years on the Medical Admissions ward. Throughout my training, I always wanted to work in the community setting rather than in a hospital.
I went back to university from 2005-2007 to do a BSc Hons Specialist Practitioner (District Nursing) course and then worked for five years as a district nurse. I then moved roles to become a Community Matron from 2012 -2018 at Pinderfields Hospital.
I undertook further training (an MSc Advance Clinical Practice course at university between 2016-2018) and following my graduation, I started full-time at Tieve Tara Medical Practice as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner… and I have been here for over five years now!
Tieve Tara is a long-established and thriving practice that supports over 5,000 patients in Castleford each year; it joined the Spectrum family in 2021.
What do you love about working at Spectrum?
We have a great ethos with shared values of teamwork, supporting each other, respect, trust, allowing everyone’s talents to grow, and delivering high standards of care to all patients. The breadth and variety of general practice is so challenging; you just never know what is going to come through the door next, and there is never a dull moment. I love making a real difference to people’s health and wellbeing within the community.
Why do you recommend others work at Spectrum?
Tieve Tara inspires staff to give their best every day, promoting staff growth, attitude and mindset. You’ll be working alongside experienced clinicians of all backgrounds and roles, who will share knowledge, guide each other, but most importantly are all striving to provide the best quality of care to all patients.
Top tips for working here:
It never gets boring – so be open to change, and never become complacent.
Something you wish you’d known before starting:
When you think you have seen and heard it all… there’s never a dull moment.
This is what a day in the life of an Advanced Nurse Practitioner can look like:
I arrive to work at 7am, open the gates to the car park and the shutters to the building, I turn the lights on and make my way to my room. First, I check my tasks/notifications, duty doctor tasks, and allocate pathology results for filing.
My morning clinic is from 7.30am – 12 noon; I assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate treatments/interventions for patients with acute, chronic conditions and complex needs, and order appropriate investigations. I also prescribe and review medications appropriate to patients’ needs, in accordance with national, practice protocols and within my scope of practice. Clinically, I examine and assess patients’ needs from a physiological and psychological perspective and plan clinical care accordingly.
12-12.30pm – We attended a daily safety huddle. This is a short multidisciplinary briefing, focusing on issues or concerns with any patients and discussing the patients who are most at risk.
My afternoon clinic is 1pm-4.30pm, for patients requiring mental health reviews, monitoring antipsychotic medications and dementia reviews. I differentiate between treatments for anxiety and depression, mental health, dementia, and delirium. I also build relationships, reassuring and listening to/talking to patients and their families about how to manage these conditions; for example, encouraging patients to take part in therapeutic activities. I also see a few more acute/chronic conditions/presentations.
My other duties include ordering appropriate investigations/interpret investigations, referring appropriately to secondary care or organising admissions, and referring to outside agencies – such as social prescribing, mental health agencies, and bereavement support.