As a new grad nurse, Stella says working at Mary Potter Hospice is the perfect place to gain nursing skills and experience.
“I really didn’t have much idea what it was like to work in a Hospice before I started, and I’ve been really surprised at how complex the care is that we give,” says Stella. Stella is working in the Inpatient Unit at Mary Potter Hospice and is coming up for her one-year anniversary.
“I can do so much as a nurse here. I can provide really broad, holistic care that utilises all of my nursing training. Yes it’s challenging, but it’s a good challenge and I’m very supported.” Stella says the first day at the Hospice was quite surreal. “But in a good way. Everyone was so warm and positive and inviting. There was a lot to get used to.”
There’s a very hopeful and positive atmosphere at Mary Potter Hospice, says Stella. The team is a good mix of ages and experience, and there’s a lot of knowledge.
She says that she is constantly being challenged. But being a Hospice nurse means she can take the time to provide the very best nursing care to patients, rather than rushing on to the next patient.
“I get to care for the whole person, and I really value being able to do that,” says Stella. The best thing, says Stella, was when she realised for the first time that she’d done everything for a patient and their family. “I realised I had been their nurse – a real nurse. It is a privileged role that you have. I got to do everything for them and made this time for them a little bit easier.”
“I wasn’t just the new grad. I was the person they needed me to be at that time.”