Northampton General Hospital hosts Recruitment Open Evening for Oncology and Haematology Nurses

The Board Room, AREA R, Northampton General Hospital – 23rd September 17.30 to 21.00 pm

Northampton General Hospital is hosting an open evening to recruit qualified and newly qualified nurses to join its oncology and haematology teams on the Talbot Butler Ward. The trust is seeking nurses keen to develop their skills and motivated to progress their careers.

Nurses attending the Open Evening will meet nurses from the Talbot Butler Ward, learn about the roles and the opportunities for further career development. A limited number of interviews will also be taking place and nurses are invited to apply online for an interview in advance of the event.

Northampton General Hospital was the first hospital in the UK to introduce The Pathway to Excellence accreditation programme, which recognises hospitals with positive practice environments where nurses excel. The hospital also runs the ‘DAISY Award’ scheme, an international recognition programme that honours and celebrates the skilful, compassionate care nurses and midwives provide every day.

Emma Cuthbert, Ward Sister on the Talbot Butler Ward said,

“We are looking forward to welcoming nurses at our event. We specialise in cancer treatments, but we also have patients with a variety of conditions, and offer different therapies and medicines, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy and iodine therapy, stem cell transplants and radiotherapy.

“The Talbot Butler Ward is an acute ward and we’re seeking nurses who want to develop their knowledge and skills quickly. Our nurses will learn to prepare and administer IV medications, use syringe drivers and administer blood products and do blood transfusions and gain skills and knowledge more quickly than in other areas of the hospital.”

Emma has enjoyed fast career progression. She started on the ward in 2006 as a Health Care Assistant and then was seconded to train as a nurse through an Open University course and has since progressed to Ward Sister.

She says,

“I love my role. We are working with patients at a very difficult time in their lives. We are here for them from diagnoses and throughout their treatment. We really get to know them and their families, as we care for them for a significant length of time. Nurses who join us must be empathetic and have excellent communication skills so they can develop good relationships with patients and their families. Some of our patients go into remission and some may relapse, but we are here for them.  We have a discharge team, but patients can still call through to the ward and speak to us.”

Kat Jackson is a junior sister on the Talbot Butler Ward. She qualified as a nurse at Northampton University and was placed on the ward as a student nurse. She enjoyed her placement so much, she asked to come back in her third year. Alongside her day job, Kat also doing a nursing mentoring course, which is funded by Learning Beyond Registration at De Montfort University in Leicester.

Kat Jackson says,

“Treatments and research for cancer are changing so quickly and we’re constantly seeing advances in medicine, which makes the Talbot Butler Ward an exciting place to work. Our work can be emotionally challenging, but we are supported by a fantastic team. We also work closely with all members of the multidisciplinary team, our cancer nurse specialists and the palliative care team so we have a great network around us.”

Nurse Chelsea Jackson, who works on the ward, is currently studying for a Masters in Advanced Nursing Practice and says,

“All nurses are encouraged to take on additional courses such as courses to administer chemotherapy, to care for patients undergoing stem cell transplants, to identify and care for acutely unwell patients, and to care for those patients who are at the end of their lives. The career progression is second to none and nurses who work with us often go on to become clinical nurse specialists, mentors or prescribers.”

Northampton General Hospital was the first hospital in the UK to introduce The Pathway to Excellence accreditation programme, which recognises hospitals with positive practice environments where nurses excel. The hospital also runs the ‘DAISY Award’ scheme, an international recognition programme that honours and celebrates the skilful, compassionate care nurses and midwives provide every day.

Northampton General Hospital is one of the key partners in the ‘Best of Both Worlds’ recruitment campaign run by Altadicta. The recruitment campaign unites the University of Northampton, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Northampton General Hospital, Kettering General Hospital (KGH), St Andrew’s Healthcare and Northants GP.

For more information on the vacancies visit: http://bestofbothworlds.uk.net