Grandad’s care inspired nursing career
A SHOPPING trip with her mum turned life upside down for East Cheshire Hospice staff nurse Charlotte Guerin.
Charlotte was destined for a life on the boards as she finished her degree in performing arts at university, when a recruitment notice for a nursing diploma caught her eye.
She said: “I saw the notice for an open day at Manchester University as I got off the train and I walked straight into their offices – I was interviewed there and then and a few weeks later I started my three-year diploma in adult nursing.”
Charlotte’s determination was motivated by her grandfather’s death from cancer a few months before her shopping trip.
She said: “My grandad, Jack, died at home and I had watched the excellent care he was given by the teams of nurses at the time.
“I was completely inspired to do the same. Something inside me just felt that this was what I needed to do”.
This month she celebrates one year in her role within the inpatient ward at the hospice and has never regretted for a second her career conversion.
“My friends are all of an age where perhaps there’s not a lot of death around them so they’re always curious about why I enjoy my job so much,” added Charlotte.
“I love to challenge their perceptions that the hospice is a dark and sad place – it certainly isn’t.
“We are all about living and bringing life to the dying process.”
Charlotte, 30, was no stranger to the hospice when she walked through the doors last year.
She had previously volunteered to work there over Christmas in 2010 and was impressed by the all-round care.
She said: “When you see families first come in, many are exhausted and tired-out.
“The nurses can give them the support they need to restore those family bonds and that makes it so fulfilling for us.”
Charlotte is one of 55 nurses who provide 365-day care at the hospice.
Like many of her colleagues, she worked all over the Christmas period – balancing work with family life.
“This job has changed me – every single day I go home to my two-year-old son, Alby, and think how lucky I am,” she said.
“Some people might call us heroes – I certainly don’t regard myself as one.
“We get one chance to get it right for our patients and that’s all we strive to do every day”.
Helen Knight, clinical director at East Cheshire Hospice, said: “Our nurses create such a wonderful atmosphere here at the hospice and their care and professionalism is second to none.
“I’m so proud of the work they do – they are East Cheshire Hospice.” ●● Early bird entry cut-off date is approaching on February 14 for Bubble Rush – the UK’s first 5k fun run through ‘walls’ of foam.
Hundreds of people have already signed up for this new event. The early bird entry of £20 is refunded for those who raise at least £100. Entrants aged 10 and under pay just £10.
To enter go to www. eastcheshirehospice.org. uk/BubbleRush.