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Life as a Kare Plus RGN: “The best thing for me is the flexibility”

Friday, February 26th, 2016 | Nursing
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When 38-year-old Precious Howell decided to become a nurse in 2010, she spent three years at University as a mature student chasing her dream. After graduating in 2013, she spent two years learning the trade and finding her feet at her local hospital before diving into more studying and signing up to do her Masters degree. 

It was at this point though, five years after she started her journey, Precious decided her local NHS hospital rota wasn’t flexible enough to fit around her growing family and studies - so she decided it was time to look at her alternatives.

She looked at various agencies, even covering a handful of shifts at a few of them - but then she discovered Kare Plus: “I felt like Kare Plus was very reliable and the service was at a very high standard.

“I have been working 35+ hours with Kare Plus for a little over 6 months now and I haven’t found anything bad yet! The communication is very good. Whenever I need a job they work with me and find me shifts that suit my needs. The best thing for me is the flexibility though – I have time to study and can fit everything in around my family life.”

Precious now works night shifts at 3 different hospitals in the West Midlands; a lifestyle that suits her needs, pays her well and she finds extremely rewarding.

“It is definitely rewarding. Seeing a patient who is not doing so well improve and then go home makes me so happy."

“I always wanted to be a nurse and help people in need, following my mum and sister’s footsteps. It wasn’t until I had my first daughter in hospital, who then fell ill, that made me decide I definitely wanted to go to University and do it.

“I now work 19:00 to 07:30. During my shifts I always make sure I introduce myself to my patients first, then check their records and lines to ensure everything is okay and I am aware of their history and information. Following this, I am constantly monitoring all the patients, but things always change and you have to react when it happens.”

However rewarding Precious finds it, she understands it’s not a job for everyone: “I wouldn’t say it’s a hard job, but you do have to be very patient, listen a lot and pay attention. You cannot be careless as a nurse, it’s too important and you cannot afford to make a mistake.”

With such passion for a competent workforce, Precious welcomes the new revalidation system as she believes CPD is key for all nurses: “It is important we revalidate. I’m not too worried about it. Actually, I think it is a good thing. We need to retrain ourselves and refresh our medical assessments. All nurses need to be put through this to keep on top of things.”

Once Precious completes her masters, she says she will always stay in nursing and isn’t looking to move away from Kare Plus anytime soon.



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