Being able to develop professionally in a friendly environment while still providing high level care to patients are among the reasons why a Nurse Consultant would recommend working at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
During her 31-year career, Linda has gained a wealth of qualifications as well as experience and is now a Nurse Consultant for Acute Medicine.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is hoping to attract more Band 5 Registered Nurses to join Team QEH and will be holding a recruitment event on Saturday, September 23.
Linda said: “It is a privilege to be a Nurse. You are part of a patient and their relative’s journey. I am very proud to be a Nurse; I’m passionate about nursing and uphold our professional standards vehemently.
“During my career I have been extremely fortunate; and the Trust has been instrumental in my professional growth and development by supporting and encouraging me.
Linda started off at the Hospital as a student Nurse with the West Norfolk and Wisbech Health Authority in 1986. After her qualification as a Registered General Nurse, Linda went onto work in surgery but has spent the majority of her career in the Emergency Department. She became an Emergency Nurse Practitioner in 1994 and in 2001 studied to gain a Paediatric Nursing Registration.
Linda said: “I have always been drawn to emergency and acute care. I like the diversity it offers and how working closely with our medical teams and allied health professionals you can be part of a team that works collaboratively to help a patient recover. Sometimes really tragic or critical events bring people to the Emergency Department or the hospital and you are part of that patient and their family’s journey, being there to support them, always treating them with dignity, respect and compassion.
Teaching is also a big passion for Linda, who left the hospital for four years to become a Lecturer in Nursing at the University of East Anglia, while still working as a bank nurse.
Linda said: “I missed the patients and being a full time nurse so I came back to the QEH and worked as an ENP. An opportunity later became available to become the Emergency Departments Practice Development Nurse which gave me the best of both worlds: teaching and clinical practice.”
In 2016, Linda became a Nurse Consultant, which combines her love of advanced nursing practice, teaching and developing innovation in the clinical areas.
She said: “It is nice to be part of a big team and we all work well together for the benefit of our patients. There is often kudos associated with working in city Trusts but there is something to be said about the community spirit and welfare within a District General Hospital. You walk down the corridor and everyone says ‘hello’ and there is always someone there to help. We are very supportive among the different professions at the QEH.”
– If you would like to join Team QEH as a Registered Nurse go to: http://bit.ly/2wdTD08 to apply. If you are shortlisted you will be invited to the recruitment event. If successful, you could also benefit from a £2,000 relocation package (terms and conditions apply).
—ENDS—
Pictured is Nurse Consultant Linda Purdy
QEH Media Hub 