International Nurses Day 2023 | “There is such variety in Nursing”

Dr MichelleThomas, Course Leader for BSc/MSc Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting), has had an extensive career in nursing. Starting out in adult nursing, she later moved to health visiting, an important community healthcare role, that many may not realise is branch of the nursing profession.

On International Nurses Day, Michelle tells us about her career and how it led to graduating with her doctorate.

“Some of my family were nurses but I didn’t feel inspired to follow in their footsteps necessarily. I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. That is, until a teacher told me I could never be a nurse, and then the gauntlet was thrown down.

I didn’t do very well academically in school, so I re-sat some subjects to get on to a pre-nursing course. But as soon as I started it, I loved it. Every Friday. I went to the hospital and gained experience working across wards.

I secured a place at the Mid Glamorgan School of Nursing but on 20 February 1989, the day I left home, my Ford Escort Ghia wouldn’t start. So, my Mum and Dad were pushing it to give me a jump start and when it did start, I just had to drive off. I loved that car but it felt like a bad omen.

After I qualified, I worked for five years, nursing patients on different wards, from high dependency, gynaecology, to cardiac surgery. Each ward required a different style of nursing, so I learnt to adapt.

Later on, when I had a baby, my Health Visitor and I talked a lot about me studying to be a Health Visitor. I was determined to go back to work because I had worked hard to become a nurse and I was not going to give that up. I studied for a Diploma in Community Health Studies in Cardiff School of Nursing and Midwifery and did my practice experience based in the Hollies Health Centre in Merthyr.

I enjoyed working in the community and meeting people. I saw that promoting health rather than dealing with end stage disease is a better way of working. There is such variety in nursing. With the skills you have, you can work anywhere.

As a health visitor I have worked in many areas and service models including the Welsh Government Sure Start and Flying Start programmes offering targeted interventions to improve family health and child development.

I have worked in areas of high deprivation, with complex healthcare and safeguarding requirements, which is never easy. I think that there's something quite important about being a bit nervous about safeguarding in practice because you're looking beyond the picture you are presented with and addressing these issues in a sensitive but confident way.

In 2007, I started teaching health visiting students, which ignited another fire in me. So, I studied for a PGCE and that led me to lecturing at USW, which in turn led to academic research.

Since 2014, I have been working with Professor Carolyn Wallace on the ‘Family Resilience Assessment Instrument and Tool’ (FRAIT), and last year I was thrilled to graduate with my PhD by portfolio.

I believe that one of the key strengths of being a good Health Visitor is, not only knowing what support is available so that you're able to help a family to overcome a particular issue, but being empathetic and a good listener. It’s an incredibly rewarding career and one I would highly recommend.”