“My name is Penny, and I’m one of the senior staff nurses at St Clare, working on our Inpatient Unit. My job is to give complete, whole, holistic care to the patients and their families, to make their journey as positive as we can in the circumstances that they’re in.”
“For me, my Mum is my hero, and she inspired me to become a nurse. I followed after her as a result of her influence as I was growing up. I’ve always aspired to be a nurse.”
“Before I started working in a hospice and at St Clare, I moved into doing cancer nursing because I was inspired by the care that two of my family members received, before they sadly passed away. Then, I decided to go and see what it was like working with patients at the end of their treatment and in palliative care.”
“I found that helping people through such a difficult time in their life was what I enjoyed most. I love being able to give patients the time and support that they need.”
“The nurses at St Clare are excellent at their jobs, and it goes to show because there is a happy atmosphere around the Hospice most of the time. Lots of people think that a hospice would be a horrible place to come and that people only go there when they die, but once they visit us they realise that none of that is true!”
“Hospice care is so diverse – people don’t realise that we do symptom management, too, and patients often go home. So, a lot of our work is about changing perceptions, as well.”
“My favourite part about being a nurse is that every day is different; you never know what you’re going to going to get! I also enjoy the challenge – it keeps you on your toes!”
“Also, as a nurse you get the chance to touch the lives of the people we work with every day.”
– Penny
