A week in the life of a urology advanced nurse practitioner

How immensely proud am I to say I am President of the British Association of Urological Nurses (BAUN). For any nurse in any specialty reaching this pinnacle is an unimaginable ambition. Although the role comes with immense support and guidance, as well as an impressive badge of office, it is something that requires incredible dedication and enthusiasm for personal self-development and self-awareness, so currently I am by no means the finished article.

I have to reflect on how I arrived at this point from being an unimaginative teenager who had no idea what she wanted to do for a career. I feel somewhat ashamed to admit that nursing was not a vocational ambition of mine as a child. It was an unfortunate illness that led me to undergo major surgery at the age of 17, and a period spent in hospital watching the nurses go about their day and the wonderful care that was given to me, that made me realise that I wanted to replicate this experience for others. Some 18 months later I started my nurse training and, to date, I have achieved 32 years in the NHS!