RCN Jobs Fair 2013

Fiona McGregorRN, SCPHN, BSc(Hons),

BA(Hons), BA, MA, PGDip (Ethics)GDL (Law)

RCN Jobs Fair 2013Specialist Nursing

Current Role

• Research Nurse: UCL Institute for Women’s Health

• Specialist Community Nurse: CNWL• Sexual Reproductive Health Services• Young people’s services (21 years and under)

Choice of specialty

• Difficult to predict trajectory

• I can tell you about my journey

• Key messages:

• Get experience everywhere

• Walk through those doors of opportunity

Specialising

• Specialising is about:• Experience• Experience• Experience

• It doesn’t necessarily mean in the field you intend to specialise

• Think about transferrable skills

• Select and take opportunities

My experience as registered and specialist nurse

Dates Posts

1981-2 General medical and surgical

1982-3 Genito-urinary-medicine

1983-1988

Gynaecology (wards – short & long stay adult and paediatric, oncology, theatre, outpatients, research, menopause clinic)

1988-1991

Specialist GUM with research

1991-1992

Occupational Health within Police Service

1989-….. Contraception and Reproductive Sexual Health

1995-1998

Emergency Care/Occupational Health

Academic career•Dip OHN

•BSc (Hons) Health sciences

•PGDip Ethics

Experience (cont’d)1998-1999

Practice Nursing

1999-2002

GUM/Contraception Integrated Service

2002-2004

Palliative and Terminal Hospice Care

2004-2009 University Lecturer (Post registration contraception

and reproductive sexual health courses)

2009-2010

Career break to undertake Law degree

2011- Research (women’s and reproductive sexual health) and Young people’s SH service

TBC

•BA (Hons) Music/humanities

•MA Academic practice (Trevor Clay Scholarship)

•BA Open

•GDL Law conversion degree

•Mary Seacole Leadership Award

Specialist Nursing

• My perspective…….. (key issues)• To work in a specialist role there should be overall

groundedness and roundedness• It requires all the qualities of a nurse: Especially:

• The 6Cs

• A focus on the patient as central

• Accountability • Leading and leadership –

• Role model to others• Developing your role and developing your self• Championing the profession as an incredible career

What do I do all day?

• Multi-task!• Keep up to date and practice clinically, professionally

and academically• Work independently and as part of a team

• Motivate myself and others

• Network• Design studies/proposals• Applications (Grants, ethics, R&D)

• Recruit patients and follow through

• Mentor

• Locally (YP services, youth centre, University, SRH clinical areas)

• Nationally (Conferences, exhibitions, posters, presentations, articles, publications, meetings)

Mary Seacole and other awards

Examples

• Mary Seacole

• Florence Nightingale

• Queens Institute

• RCN

• Burdett Trust for Nursing• CHAIN [enquiries@chain-network.org.uk]

• National awards, open to all Nurses, Midwives, HVs

• 6 Awards per annum worth up to £12,500• Opportunity for career and self development• Improvement in outcomes for BME communities

through planning and undertaking a personally designed project

• Excellent research experience will follow on from this

• Applications start March/April

Finally...

• Don’t burn out/forget all the other important things in life.

• Good luck with your careers

• Please do contact me:

Fiona.mcgregor@nhs.net