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Hats off to Sue Ryder Care nurses after completing palliative care degrees

9 May 2008

Two committed Sue Ryder Care nurses have an extra special reason to celebrate International Nurses Day on Monday after successfully completing degree courses in palliative care.

Claire Martin and Maria O’Neil, both based at Sue Ryder Care’s Thorpe Hall Hospice, in Peterborough, have been awarded hard-won BA (Hons) certificates from Anglia Ruskin University. Both nurses - who have clocked up 21 years service with the leading healthcare charity between them - were given study leave to attend lectures, as part of a commitment by Sue Ryder Care to encourage on-going learning. Maria and Claire also did considerable studying in their own time. juggling work and family commitments as part of their dedication to learn more about their chosen field.

Claire said: “I decided to do the degree in palliative care because I am very passionate about this specialist area of nursing and wanted to progress within my career and develop professionally, using my skills and knowledge within the hospice to the benefit of patients, relatives and colleagues. I love my job and this is such a privileged area to work within, and as a nurse you can make such a difference to patients and their families at such a crucial time in their lives. Sue Ryder Care was very supportive in allowing both myself and Maria to attend lectures and I am delighted to be giving something back and supporting other nurses who have now taken on the same challenge. My husband was also very patient, as were my family and friends, as they knew how important this was for me. They were all there to help me celebrate at the end with a special meal.”

Maria was driven to become an expert practitioner in palliative care after caring for her grandfather at home. She fit in her studying with family life with her husband and daughter, as well as caring for her mother who is living with stroke.

She is now acting as a mentor to other nurses taking on similar qualifications and is keen to pass on her learning to others. She said: “When my granddad had cancer of the stomach, I had no knowledge of palliative care, the hospice movement was still yet to make its impact and I was stranded with no help other than his neighbours. I worked full time, slept on a mattress by my grandad and tried to give the best I could. I vowed then that I would not let another human being go through what I had if I could help it and to learn more about this environment. This has been my crusade ever since. With the ever changing world of Palliative Care we have to keep ourselves up to date and I could not imagine myself working in any other environment.

“I am delighted that Sue Ryder Care encourages further learning. My qualification has enhanced my practice, it has provided me with a sound knowledge base of which I am able to pass onto my colleagues, support the student nurses and mentor other staff who are traveling the same education pathway that I have just completed.”

Jane Appleton, Quality and Learning Manager at Sue Ryder Care, said: “Congratulations to both Maria and Claire. They have both worked exceptionally hard to complete their degrees. We have established an excellent relationship with Anglia Ruskin University. Many of their student nurses undertake placements on the wards of Thorpe Hall Hospice. In return we are given vouchers for modules, which enables nurses like Maria and Claire to learn more about their field and benefit the whole team with their enhanced knowledge and skills in a cost-effective way.”

We welcome around 400 people to its day, respite and in-patient services at Thorpe Hall Hospice each year. It also cares for people’s families and provides bereavement services.

Read Maria and Claire's stories here

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