Nurses inspired Jodie to follow their path

AS a young girl, Jodie Gunn watched with fascination as district nurses tended to her sick mother.

And watching the care she received sparked an interest for her which led to her successful career.

Jodie is now flying high, recently appointed as the first Gender Based Violence Against Women’s Nurse for NHS Tayside.

And as the nation celebrates the Platinum Jubilee, we talk to Jodie about what it means to her to also be a prestigious Queen’s Nurse.

Jodie, who has been a nurse since April 2003, remembers the district nurses who visited her family home as a teenager.

She said: “When I was younger, my mum was seriously ill with a chronic lung condition.

“She thankfully received a double lung transplant 22 years ago which gave her a new lease of life.”

She added: “The fact that healthcare was being delivered in my mum’s bedroom was astounding to me.”

After her training, Jodie got her first job in a busy rehabilitation ward for care of the elderly.

But it was being involved with planning discharges that once again brought the role of community nursing into her mind.

“The more I asked patients about how things were at home and what resources people had available, the more curious I became about working in the community.

“So I went on to become a community nurse within a district nursing team then further progressed to complete my health visitor training.”

From there, Jodie became community nurse team leader in the health visiting service.

But when she embarked on her Queen’s Nurse programme in 2021, she found it brought new beginnings for her.

Jodie says it gave her the “courage” to challenge herself and use mindfulness in her self-development.

“Kindness was a prominent theme throughout the entire programme,” she said.

“We were taught to be kind to ourselves and each other.”