Sarah celebrates her first seven months of nursing for International Nurses Day

Sarah Wells has been working as a theatre nurse with us for seven months, having qualified from Canterbury Christ Church University last year.

Sarah swapped her admin role in the NHS and trained to become a clinical nurse after seeing the impact that nurses have on patients. She said: “When I worked in my admin role and witnessed some of the nursing in the Trust first-hand, I felt that I could make a positive impact on our patients through a clinical role.”

For Sarah, it’s the team-work that she finds the most rewarding part of her job, saying: “I’m working as part of an amazing team that pulls together to ensure that every patient receives the best possible care. As a scrub nurse, it is very fulfilling to be an integral part of that.”

Becoming a nurse is a huge decision, and Sarah feels it is important to remember there will be many different paths that could be right for you. She said: “There are highs and lows of being a nurse, and you may not like every area of practice.

“For anyone starting their journey as a nurse, I would say to just keep going and you will find what is right for you. Being happy in your role will have a huge impact on your patients.”

Sarah is part of our breast surgery team, and most of her cases are breast cancer related. She remembers a patient interaction that made a lasting impact on her.

She said: “During a procedure, if a breast is removed, we put it in a pot for examination by histology. We have a range of pot sizes lined up on a shelf from very small to very large. 

“We had a memorable patient that was very anxious about her surgery, however, when she woke up from her general anaesthetic, the first thing she said was ‘what size pot did you use?’, it was a joke and everybody laughed. This made an impression on me, it highlighted the use of humour to relieve stress and cope with difficult circumstances.”

This International Nurses Day, Sarah has a message for her fellow newly qualified nurses, saying: “Face your fear head on, that procedure you’re worried about just needs a bit of practice.

“Most of all, be kind to yourself when you make mistakes, we are all human.”