Gaz Lloyd-Ford

Tell us about what you studied at USW and what your career been like since graduating?

I studied my undergraduate BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing in 2009, PgCert in Acute and Critical Care, and then obtained my MSc in Professional Practice which included Independent Prescriber status in 2019.  I am currently undertaking a PgDip in Gastroenterology.

Nursing is busy, emotional, exhausting and at the same time rewarding, it is a total privilege to look after people. Nursing has changed since 2009 when I qualified especially with the changes to advance practice and the COVID 19 pandemic.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I usually start with a team meeting looking at the day ahead. Patients needing acute reviews or ascites management arrive early and are assessed and treated. All around me my team are looking after infusion and transfusion patients. Emergencies and acutley unwell patients are stabilsed as needed and referred on as needed. 

What does International Nurse’s Day mean to you?

Nursing as a role has been in the background of care, health and society for many decades. Nurses celebrate the role they play in caring for others, International Nurses Day allows others to celebrate nursing with us supporting and promoting this essential evolving role. 

What tips do you have for someone who’s thinking about becoming a nurse?

Be yourself, do not expect to find the training and the job easy, looking after people with all the associated emotions cannot and should not be easy. Learn every day and pass on you knowledge to those around you. Become part of the larger nursing family and all that stands for. 

What are the biggest rewards and obstacles of your job?

Working as the Lead Nurse for a nurse led unit is still a new concept, but the joy we have as a team of taking a patient from unstable illness to controlled remission and increased quality of life is amazing. On the flip side of that taking my end stage patients and their families through palliation and treatment option towards a peaceful end is such a privilege. Biggest obstacle, apart from the difficult courses I have undertaken, still being mistaken for a doctor. Not all healthcare workers who can use a stethoscope are doctors!