True Story of an NHS General Registered Nurse: The memoirs of a Black General Registered nurse

By Carol Webley-Brown

This book is about my General Nurse training and work in Accident and Emergency.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Nov 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781304925459

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 Carol Webley-Brown.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-304-92547-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-304-92545-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023908266

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 11/13/2023

INTRODUCTION

I did not want to be the nurse working in the non-acute clinical area, where nurses were forgotten and badly treated. I was not going to be backstreet nurse. I wanted to be a front-line nurse. My general training was to get me where I wanted to be.

I started my training on 14 April 1980 in Kent. Now called something else. I tried to enrol in a program at London hospitals, but my race was not supported at two famous London hospitals.

The training syllabus (amended 1977) was regulated by the General Nursing Council for England and Wales. There were four practical examinations: the aseptic technique, drug administration, nursing care, and communication and organization.

My tasks included observation in the operating theatre, care for post-anaesthetic and mental health patients, maternity care, and care for newborns, sick children, and the elderly. Also, welfare of children, accident and emergency nursing, and night duty.

I froze when I looked through the long list. What had I done? What had I taken on? Could all this be done in eighteen months?

Big questions, but no answers.

The nursing home was situated on the grounds of the hospital and the school of nursing.

Firstly, I was placed on a female medical ward. I worked hard, and it paid off. The sister thought the world of me. We worked together for the first two weeks; I guess this was to ensure I was a safe practitioner. I also think that because of being a Black British student nurse, I was a curiosity.

My ward sister said repeatedly that I should be nonjudgemental with all patients. She told me of the times she was caught out, and she did not want me to make the same mistakes. She also told me that she was not going to make a judgement about me as a nurse as we are all unique. And there will always be good nurses and a few bad nurses. Black nurses do not equal bad nurses. When I am sad and feel bad, I always remember the start of my journey. The promise of justice equality and equity.

CHAPTER 1

IN HEAVEN

As a student nurse in her third year, I had my first experience in an accident and emergency department in the hospital. I was in heaven. I had found me in the nursing world. Mental health and general