Tuesday 2nd June may seem rather un-extraordinary to you; maybe you were at work? Walked the dog? But to me it was something more. Tuesday 2nd June marked the end of my third month at QNIS, and what a whirlwind three months it was. It has gone by unbelievably quickly, and I already feel like part of the QNIS family. To mark the start of our monthly blog, I thought I would mark a few of the highlights from my short time here at QNIS.
Conference
I thought it was a wonderful gesture for the team to organise for 168 of our closest friends and stakeholders to come and meet me within three weeks of starting. My disappointment at the fact this was not the principal purpose of our annual conference was overcome by the fact it was such a successful event, with some innovative and creative ideas being heard across the board.
Team
I have been welcomed with open arms into the small team here. And by “with open arms” I really mean “with cake”. Despite being the only boy in the office, the rest of the team have been wonderful, and the Trustees have also been very kind and welcoming. Coming from a corporate system whereby having a personality was frowned upon; the change in work environment has been positive!
Long Service Awards
I attended my first Long Service Award in East Renfrewshire and will freely admit to it being the best part of any job I have had ever. Being able to watch as 40 nurses, with a collective 1100 years of working in the Community, were awarded with badges in front of their friends and colleagues was a special occasion. Knowing that this could be the only recognition some of these deserving nurses would get, I was proud to be one of the few who got to witness it, and look forward to many more awards ceremonies in the future.
Community Nurses
In my three months I have met undergraduate student nurses, postgraduate nurses, nurse researchers, district nurses, general practice nurses, mental health nurses, nurse managers, nurses who qualified in 2014, nurses who qualified in 1965, retired nurses, school nurses, nursing lecturers, active Queen’s Nurses (from England) and retired Queen’s Nurses.
And the thing that has struck me, from each and every one, is how passionate they all are about nursing and the people they care for. It has helped me understand just who I am working for, and why, and it gives me incredible pride to be able to provide support for these extraordinary people.
Rob Mackie, June 2015
