Rebecca Duckett

From preceptorship I have worked on this ward and have developed and enhanced many skills here. At the beginning the ward was a Urology and Surgical assessment unit, the ward has been reconfigured over the years exposing me to develop orthopaedic and medical experience and for the last 2 years it has been an elective surgical ward, different lists run each day including day case to long stay patients, including such disciplines as: Gynae, breast, ENT, dental, orthopaedic, colorectal, urology and general surgery.

My job role includes taking charge most shifts and I am able to keep a calm head in busy and high pressured environments, I work well within a team and I am aware of the need for clear and effective communication and documentation. I have many clinical skills and a have gained a lot of experience and knowledge during my time nursing. I have a good understanding of most clinical conditions and medications from the high level of assessments and admissions and patient involvement I have had over the years.

Currently my role involves:

• admissions - checking through medications, medical history's, providing a calm and reassuring environment to help ease the patients nerves pre-op.
• preparing patients for theatre - completing checklists, recording observations, prioritising care needs.
• co-ordinating the ward and managing beds, facilitating discharges - The ward currently has 16 beds and runs on 2 nurses, on most of my shifts I am the most senior nurse so my responsibilities are to aid efficient and safe discharges to allow for the admission of new TCI's.
• communicating with the matron - On Fridays my role requires that i communicate available beds and what emergency admissions we can accommodate over the weekend, I also help to plan for the following week including TCI beds and allocations.
• medication rounds - I have conducted numerous medication rounds, I have full awareness of doing thorough checks and applying the 6 R's before administration, the importance of allergy status, Medication rounds are also more than the administration of drugs it is understanding what we are giving and why, contraindications of medications, interactions of medications, knowledge sharing with patients and in the involvement of training new starters and students, liaising with doctors and pharmacy in terms of prescription, drug history and any queries we may have.
• bloods and cannulation, Bloods are taken daily to allow for observation of post op patients and are also taken during times of deterioration or as clinically indicated, we use software to access these results and I can interpret abnormal results and escalate as necessary.
• dressings and wound management - applying ANTT, observing for signs of infection, wound collections, dehiss wounds, providing wound care advice to patients on discharge, removal of clips and sutures, reporting concerns re: wounds to relevant surgical teams.
• communicating with patients and relatives - listening to concerns/worries, answering questions regarding their care recovery, post op guidance, handling complaints and resolving these within my capabilities, advocating for them to other teams.
• observation recordings and interpretations - recording to get baselines, to monitor closely post op, monitoring acutely unwell patients and knowing how to escalate in these situations, spotting anomalies, knowing how to interpret and the importance of effective breathing post op and good oral intake, how to escalate concerns.
• mentoring student nurses - I am a sign off mentor and I am aware of the importance of sharing our knowledge and experience with our training nurses and how to provide good learning placements for them and have always received good feedback from my students.
• audits - I have completed RCA's from home during lockdown as I was pregnant and this provided good insight into why we keep clear and concise documentation, I conduct weekly audits of mattresses and suction monitoring.
• documentation - features heavily within our role and I am aware of the need for clear and concise documentation, I take a holistic approach to my documentation and aspects of ADL's are included, so I am used to using computers and clinical software.
• Manage patient care by coordinating with multi-disciplinary medical teams.
• Advocated for patients' rights with adherence to ethical guidelines and standards.
• Provided expert clinical advice to junior nurses, fostering professional growth.
• Managed patient care by coordinating with multi-disciplinary medical teams.

Responsibilities included:

• Taking orders,
• running the bar,
• interacting with customers,
• managing own float and being responsible for your own till/takings,
• cleaning the restaurant.
• Conducted regular inventory checks for optimal stock management.
• Maintained high standards of customer service by training new waitstaff.
• Ensured smooth restaurant operations during peak hours for seamless dining experience.
• Coordinated with kitchen staff to expedite food orders, resulting in satisfied customers.
• Fostered a positive work environment by resolving staff conflicts swiftly.

Within this role we had to be very flexible, shift hours changed continuously and we would travel to all locations over the UK. I was responsible for:

• assisting in store refits,
• in the removal of stock and then once the store had been refitted we would be given a very short timescale to reintroduce the stock and create displays,
• I was a team leader and would have agency staff working for myself on each different location and would train and help guide them so that the job could be fulfilled efficiently.
• Maintained clean and organised store environment, ensuring optimal shopping conditions.
• Implemented new display layouts to improve shopping experience.
• Trained junior staff members in visual merchandising techniques, improving team efficiency.
• Ensured timely execution of seasonal changes to maintain freshness of displays.
• Streamlined merchandise replenishment process to minimise disruption on shop floor.
• Adhered to company guidelines whilst executing creative solutions for display challenges.
• Participated in regular professional development training sessions to stay updated on industry standards and practices.
• Developed innovative window displays to enhance customer engagement.
• Utilised knowledge of current fashion trends for effective visual merchandising.
• Created visually appealing product arrangements, increasing store desirability.

I worked in a very busy Wetherspoons just outside of central London, I was a supervisor within this role and would help to run the floor and delegate associated tasks and support the staff. The busy environment of the bar helped me to learn how to keep a clear head in a busy environment, how to work effectivity and efficiently, to be diligent, to be observant and to keep calm when the workload increased, I feel the skills i learnt here developed into my nursing as they got me used to working long and unsociable hours and working in very busy environments where you needed to be constantly aware of your surroundings.

Responsibilities included:

• Maintained clean premises, promoting a welcoming atmosphere for patrons.
• Supervised team members to ensure excellent service delivery.
• Managed cash flow, ensuring correct transaction procedures were followed.
• Checked identification of customers to enforce age restriction laws on alcohol consumption.
• Enhanced customer satisfaction by managing bar operations efficiently.
• Trained staff for improved service quality and professionalism.
• Increased sales with effective promotional strategies.
• Ensured a safe environment by strictly adhering to health and safety regulations.
• Adhered to licensing regulations, maintaining the reputation of the establishment.
• Handled difficult customers tactfully, ensuring minimum disruption to other guests.
• Cultivated a friendly environment through excellent interpersonal skills enhancing overall guest experience.
• Maintained bar stocks, replenishing daily as necessary.
• Changed beer kegs safely and efficiently, consistently following health and hygiene guidelines.
• Performed bar closing duties, thoroughly cleaning, sanitising and replenishing stock.
• Engaged with guests to create positive rapport, encouraging loyalty and repeat visits.
• Prepared mixed drinks and poured wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages within target service timeframes.

Whilst at university (studying Fashion) I also worked with a department store called Bentalls, I was based on the Nicole Farhi Section, Responsibilities included:

• Improved customer service by efficiently handling queries and complaints.
• Assisted customers with product selection for optimal satisfaction.
• Fostered a welcoming store environment by maintaining clean and well-organised displays.
• Offered personalised shopping advice to enhance customer experiences.
• Ensured stock replenishment in a timely manner to maintain product availability.
• Handled cash transactions swiftly, ensuring accurate accounting at the end of each shift.
• Built strong relationships with regular customers for repeat business.
• Utilised excellent communication skills to provide detailed product information.

This was my first job after school, I would work here on the weekends in the shoe department, I was responsible for

• calculating the accessories sales and reporting them to head office every week,
• I managed and ran the shoe department every weekend on my own including display management, customer interaction and stock taking.
• Ensured stock replenishment in a timely manner to maintain product availability.
• Utilised excellent communication skills to provide detailed product information.
• Balanced multiple tasks simultaneously whilst maintaining high-quality customer care.
• Managed till operations smoothly, reducing waiting time for customers.
• Handled high-pressure situations calmly, keeping store operation seamless during peak hours.
• Improved customer service by efficiently handling queries and complaints.
• Assisted customers with product selection for optimal satisfaction.
• Fostered a welcoming store environment by maintaining clean and well-organised displays.
• Offered personalised shopping advice to enhance customer experiences.