Georgia Henson, Cardiology and Respiratory Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), shares her experiences working as a CNS at Cromwell Hospital.
When did you start your role at Cromwell Hospital?
I joined Cromwell Hospital in 2016 after completing a two-year cardiology and cardiothoracic rotation in the NHS.
After five years working on the ward at Cromwell Hospital, I started my role as CNS.
Why did you decide to be a nurse?
This question is most often answered by nurses saying they have always wanted to be a nurse, or they have nurses in their family, but that is not the case for me. To be honest, I was a bit lost when I left school and unsure of what to do. It was my mother who had noticed I had caring attributes and she recommended I find a job in care, so I applied for a role as a community support worker, and it was my thing! I loved it. I often teamed up with qualified nurses and so I applied to university to study nursing and the rest is history.
What does your role as a CNS involve?
My role as a cardiology and respiratory CNS is very diverse.
It involves specialist skills training and education to hospital staff, patient pre-assessment, education and aftercare, attending heart and lung MDTs, and ensuring patients receive safe and effective care during their hospital stay.
What is your favourite thing about your role?
I’m passionate about cardiology. The relationship you can build as a CNS with your patients and then the feedback you receive after caring for them along their journey means a lot.
Patients are often frightened about surgery, but when you can reassure them and educate them during their stay, so they feel better and calmer, that is a great feeling.
I’m always in awe of how the cardiac patients cope, especially going into the more complex operations. Feeling like you’ve made a difference for your patient is the best feeling to have.
Visit our careers page if you are interested in being a nurse at Cromwell Hospital