I am a registered nurse and midwife (not currently practicing midwifery) with over 28 years of experience delivering high quality care to patients in different areas in the hospital setting as well as the community.
I have experience in internal medical care, surgical, paediatric, opthalmology and accident & emergency, and then I reverted to Obstetrics for a while whilst in Tanzania. I came over to the UK and joined the neurological department and worked here for nine years. After a long time working in different departments within the hospital settings, I decided to transition to the primary care settings to expand my knowledge and awareness in 2007.
I transitioned to the community as an intermediate care nurse, and many changes have taken place since. I am currently working as a community nurse practitioner with the Urgent Community Response Team. We respond to patients with acute problems, assess them, and provide care appropriately with the aim of avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions. We provide nursing services, and I take responsibility for the care and wellbeing of patients under my care as well as promoting self care within patients’ functional limitations. I am assertive, and I integrate very well within the multidisciplinary team. I collaborate well with others to assure a high quality of patient care.
My skills not only include high standards of professionalism but also empathetic, diligence and problem solving capabilities. I have excellent interpersonal and communication abilities bearing in mind that I am at times the link between patients and their doctors. My communication abilities also allow me to obtain the patients’ medical history and to conduct screening tests as well as persuading the patient to take the appropriate interventions required. I am great in prioritising tasks, diligent, flexible, adaptable and good in organising projects, as this allows me to improve the quality of patient care.
Working in the community for some time has prepared me to be a critical thinker. As I triage patients, I analyse the cases at hand and decide the order by which the patient should be treated, and this experience has given me autonomy and confidence in good decision making.
I have been in the frontline working with the Medicine Sans Frontieres in Tanzania, helping in providing care in the rural areas and family planning, including treatment for chronic and infectious diseases, health care for refugees, asylum seekers and support for victims of violence. We also responded to emergencies in the country like flooding and Cholera outbreaks.
Our services included care and counselling for victims of sexual and gender-based violence, mental health consultations, and treatment for tuberculosis, HIV, and non-communicable diseases. We also ran paediatric and adult wards at the hospital in the camp and assisted deliveries. For patients requiring emergency surgical and obstetric care, we facilitated referrals to the nearby government hospital. In addition, we supported emergency preparedness and response activities, for example, opening Cholera isolation units in the hospitals wherever the outbreak occurred
We offered medical humanitarian assistance to people based solely on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender, or political affiliation.
I welcome the opportunity to discuss my candidacy with you further, and I appreciate your kind consideration.
Effective communication skills
Due to the long term experience I have in the clinical industry, I am able to translate complex medical information into terms and language that is understandable for patients to understand I am realistic about risks, diagnoses and prognosis without being alarmist I am able to be supportive and encouraging without being overbearing I am able to strike a balance in my communication so that patients feel empowered to take the necessary steps to achieve good health while fully understanding the reality of their current condition
I am able to communicate with my fellow physicians and other medical providers to whom are involved with patient care and relay all findings and history verbally and in written form excellently I have good technological knowledge and can utilise technology skillfully
Clinical examination skills
I assess patients physical condition and note any anomalies that could be the cause or symptoms of illness Physical exams can include a number of measures that is needed so as to get the full picture of a patient’s health, such as:
Physical exams also helps to check for the presence of lumps, bumps, or other skin lesions that could indicate underlying disease Along with assessing a patient’s body during the physical exam, I will also compile a health record, including family history, to understand how a patient’s past can affect their health and for what conditions they may be at increased risk of
Ordering tests, laboratory works and interpreting results
I have some understanding in the utility of various tests, such as blood work and specimen swabs, when appropriate to order them When results come back, I have the ability to interpret them for patients Beyond just relaying results, my practitioner skills enable me to educate patients on what the results mean for their health
Ability to Diagnose
diagnosing help patients understand the root of their illness and serves as the basis of a treatment plan In some cases, I will feel a specialist is better suited to make a diagnosis, then I will use additional nurse practitioner skills to make a referral and manage the transition of care to another provider
Prescribing medication and formulating treatment plans
With a confirmed diagnosis, I could then construct a treatment plan, including medication, bearing in mind that there are some conditions for which the treatment may be straightforward, I also take into consideration each patient’s circumstances, such as their social determinants of health, and ensure that treatment plans are realistic for them and their life style
Good Listening skills
it is important to allow the patient to express themselves, their thoughts and needs without judgement or criticism as this will encourage them to stay open and truthful which will help in the appropriate course of action to be taken
Good leadership skills
I am calm regardless of the pressure, organised and supportive to the rest of the team to ensure all members work together effectively for the best outcomes for patients, staff and members
Great administrative nursing skills
I have great skills in assessing, taking health histories and conducting general health evaluations, which is a unique skill set that requires attention to detail and impeccable listening skills, especially to with patients suffering from mental health issues like delirium, confusion, dementia and many others, taking into consideration the Mental Capacity Act 2005
I am knowledgeable in treating patients across the lifespan, including children and geriatrics, which is a broader skill to work with all age ranges of patients Working with such a vast age range requires me to change my communication style and even my demeanour to make patients feel comfortable at every stage of life and I am aware of the need to change my education methods to match the maturity and life experience of each patient
Leadership and Management
I studied leadership and management as part of my degree, and I have been utilising the skills learnt to date in my day-to-day practice
I continually advance my leadership and management skills in both the clinical and personal areas My duties include maintaining discipline, writing reports for patients’ care and service given and performing other administrative duties ie, when we have students to mentor I demonstrate effective clinical leadership when liaising with the multidisciplinary staff in the management of my patients I act as a shift coordinator where needed, and I have done this successfully so far I am a clinical supervisor, I coordinate meetings regarding work and act as a link between staff and the managerial levels
Teamwork
I have extensive experience of operating effectively in teams Having qualified and worked in a different country, different cultures and our diverse society, it has helped me enormously to have an open mind in dealing with our multicultural diverse colleagues and patients
I find good teamwork and understanding helps us better evaluate each other as well as our patients We increase comfort for each other as well as patients, and there is a better learning environment with a better positive outcome for all involved
Other responsibilities
-Emergency response
-Responsibility for continuity of care for the patient
-Patient safety
-Organising care with Social services
-Assessing patients in their own homes, manage them appropriately in a timely manor whilst trying to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and safely discharge or refer them appropriately
-Reviewing patients’ medications and liaising with the patient’s GP as well as other relevant discipline
-Triaging
-ECG
-Phlebotomy
-Venipuncture
-Chronic health disease management
-Basic nursing skills, ie, manual BP check, vital signs monitoring
-I participate in the quality and outcome framework in comparing the delivery and quality of care provided in the service
-Wound care and management
-Diabetes management and care
-Immediate Life Support care and management
-Indwelling urinary catheterisation and management
-Tracheostomy care and management
-End of life crisis support
-Care of increased frail patients due to events such as infection
-Urgent equipment provision for example when equipment is needed to support function and keep person safe at home