Now qualified I was a staff nurse. I had experience in a couple of wards during training that I wanted to work on. Fortunately there were posts available and I started on a medical ward, that specialised in respiratory diseases. Tuberculosis was still rife and we often had to help people start the therapy that would last 6 months. Old soldiers had malaria, and lung cancer was a frequent diagnosis.
One of the consultants ran a chest clinic and would attend on a ward round once a week, to break the news of lung cancer. Once the round was finished he’d return to the ward office where Sister provided coffee, and he lit a cigarette, going on to chain smoke. An illustration of the power the consultants had.
Meanwhile I was learning more about managing a ward, and caring for staff and students. There were differing styles of working by the Sisters; some tidy, some not. There were the Nursing Officers as Matrons had been seen as an outmoded role. They were a varied lot too. After a year or so I moved to a surgical ward and began another round of learning. Surgery has changed much in terms of techniques and shortened length of stay. Even so every surgery carries risk though much less for many procedures than in the past. As my nursing experience grew I knew deep down there was more to learn and explore, especially as palliative and end of life care was still on my radar.
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