Sarah Male

I am a dedicated healthcare professional with skills in home visits, catheter care, and interprofessional collaboration. Demonstrates proficiency in palliative care, diabetic care, and medication administration. Skilled in patient assessment, vital signs recording, and clinical record-keeping. Committed to delivering person-centred care with a strong focus on patient education and advocacy. Adept at wound dressing, blood glucose monitoring, and basic life support. Career goal: to continue enhancing patient outcomes through compassionate and efficient healthcare practices.

I am writing to express my interest in the practice nurse role at Barton House Medical Practice. I entered nursing to become a specialised community public health nurse and a school nurse. However, I realised that I enjoyed adult nursing and wanted to continue my career in this field. During my final placement with the district nursing team in Ilminster, I managed several spoke days with the local GP nurse, spending one day with the diabetic specialist nurse and another day in a clinic administering medication and performing venepuncture. I believe that primary care nursing is vital for patients as it helps them manage long-term conditions, maximising their independence and preventing hospitalisation. Primary care nurses provide ongoing care that allows patients to build trust with their nurses. A prime example of this is a patient we currently see who does not trust doctors, but the patient has a strong bond with the district nurses, providing valuable support and care to a vulnerable individual that enables them to continue with activities of daily living. Not only do we support this patient with clinical care, but it has also become clear that they benefit from emotional support and guidance to help them cope with the challenges of living with complex care needs.

During this placement, I have learnt a great deal about patient care, which has highlighted the importance of a holistic approach. This involves considering factors such as family input, environmental aspects, diet, exercise, and education, as well as the significance of collaborating with a multidisciplinary team (MDT) that can influence a patient's outcome.

Experience and skills

I am currently on placement with the Ilminster district nursing team, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here, where I have received guidance and support from all the team. I have picked up many skills that will benefit this role, such as complex wound care, drains, catheters, insulin therapy and medicine administration.

I have a strong interest in promoting and educating people about health and giving them high-quality treatment in their homes. I have a strong desire to keep patients as independent as possible and, whenever feasible, in their own surroundings.

I have been proactive in gaining skills and knowledge that can be transferred to this role in understanding the complex health concerns of patients such as wound care, this has been achieved by undertaking the leap training on basic wound care for community staff, I have also completed the safe use of insulin, and the diabetes essential.

I have completed the venepuncture training and have been signed off on this. I have also completed the catheter training, and I am currently working towards getting this signed off while on placement. Additionally, I have completed negative pressure wound therapy and am working my way through getting this signed off. I have finished training on leg ulcers and have booked the classroom training, which will enable me to perform Dopplers and compression bandaging. I have got training booked in for the future that will benefit this role, such as the IM injection training that is booked in for June and the leg ulcer training that I have started on Leap, and the classroom training day booked in for September

I understand that primary and community nursing is important to both the patient and the NHS, within my third year of university I took on an extra non-accredited module in general practice nursing, this has given me a deeper understanding of the complex needs of patients in primary care, long-term conditions, the social determinants of health, health inequalities, inclusion, and cultural respect by improving access for all, where many of these patients will be seen by the community nurse.

At present, I am taking part in the ambassador for palliative care and end of life course, where I feel this is an important part of primary and community nursing. Being able to understand the needs of patients as well as the family members and caregivers' needs is a vital part of the nursing role, by taking part in this three day course it will provide me with knowledge and skills that I can carry forward and therefore provide support and comfort to all that need it.

Before I started my degree, I worked for my family business, where my role was admin and payroll. Skills that I can transfer to this role include the use of IT, problem solving, which includes working out a new computer software system (going from paper to technology).

Before working in the family business, I was a qualified dental nurse, skills and knowledge that can be carried forward within this role are communication skills with patients and the MDT and other healthcare professionals, setting appointments, infection control, direct patient care, education and support to the patient and time management.

As part of my nursing degree, I have undertaken a leadership and supervision module, and by doing this, it has directed me to the NHS leadership academy website, where I have signed up to the Edward Jenner programme. This programme will help me develop and build strong foundations towards leadership skills that will help enhance my confidence, develop my emotional intelligence, and better understand ways on how to talk to staff and the multidisciplinary team, which will have a positive influence within the team that I work with.

Attitude and professionalism

I love learning and take a proactive approach, I have subscribed to many of the nursing magazines such as Nursing Standards, Practice nursing, British journal of community nursing, The Nursing Times, Primary healthcare, and Evidence Based Nursing, all of these helps keep me up-to-date with the latest evidence based learning in areas relevant to my practice. An example of this is that it has helped me gain a better understanding of continence support and practice recommendations as long as it follows policies and procedures within the trust.

I am an enthusiastic and positive person and enjoy learning. I work well in a team and can also use my initiative to work alone. I would like to think that I am empathetic and understanding, and I will always work on using my active listening skills to better communicate with both patients and staff members. I pride myself on being on time and taking minimal time away from work and looking smart and tidy, and promoting the NMC code by prioritising patients, practising effectively, preserving safety, and promoting professionalism through my work and home life. In the future, I would like to be able to continue my training and enrol on the prescribing course and continue to improve my skills and gain new skills that will enhance my nursing knowledge and benefit patients and employers.

I hope I was able to effectively communicate both my suitability for this position and my enthusiasm for practice nursing. I think I'd make a great patient advocate, and I'll put a lot of effort into upholding the highest standards of care in this position.