My Kind Of Job: Community Nurse

In the My Kind of Job spotlight this week is Helen Coulter, community nurse at Respond.

What was your first job?

At school, I worked in a small hardware shop in Carrickfergus before I started my nursing training when I was 17 years old.

What qualifications do you have?

I trained as a State Registered Nurse (now called Registered General Nurse) in the Belfast Group School of Nursing and then transferred to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and completed my registered Sick Children’s Nursing Course.

After a few years working in the paediatric ICU I moved to Musgrave Park Hospital and successfully undertook an Orthopaedic Nursing Certificate. I worked here for 16 years, 11 as a ward manager. I then moved to Antrim Area Hospital where I worked in a female general surgical ward and this ignited my interest in working with patients who had undergone abdominal surgery and had a Stoma formed.

When I started with Respond I spent some time working with a stoma care nurse specialist in Wales this invaluable experience helped me focus on what was needed in Northern Ireland to set up the nursing service.

Each year I attend the stoma care nurse conference which means we are always up to date on any new developments in stoma care. Respond has nurses in Northern Ireland, England and Wales and as a group of nurse specialists we meet quarterly, these meetings provide us with the opportunity to discuss any interesting stoma related problems, we update the group on any developments from previous discussions and we develop new protocols and guidelines and most importantly support each other, after all a problem shared is a problem solved in the Respond stoma world.

What do you attribute your success to?

I like my job and what I do. I think that if you enjoy what you do on a daily basis then you tend to want to expand your knowledge and I have been lucky enough to be able to do that from early on in my career both in orthopaedics and stoma care.

How would you describe yourself to someone who’d never met you?

Happy and not always quiet. Talkative and keen to get to know others. I believe I’m hard-working and not a clock watcher and someone who loves a good night out with friends and family.

Who do you look up to in business?

I admire anyone who works hard in their chosen field, and working outside the NHS has been an eye opener for me.

The gentleman who founded TG Eakin, Tom Eakin, saw a need for a stoma appliance and through hard work and, I’m sure, a lot of determination, he developed a seal to protect the skin around a stoma. He developed this while working as a pharmacist and raising a family, not an easy task.

The company has grown, and he now has two sons heading the company in product innovation and delivering to a worldwide market. Tom still comes into the Comber office quite a few days of the week and I think that passion and commitment are amazing.

What website could you not do without?

I love the BBC food network as I’m always looking for new recipes.

Tell us something interesting about yourself?

I love to entertain, I’m happy in the kitchen cooking and baking for family and friends, nothing fancy, I just love good food and good company.

How do you unwind after a busy week?

I enjoy spending time with my family. I love to get away for the night when we can, we live on a farm so we leave our son in charge. My husband and I both love walking (weather permitting) and we are very content on the north Antrim coast.  Otherwise, it’s the normal working-wife weekend of housework and shopping.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in their career?

Make sure you pursue a career in something you are passionate about. If you enjoy your work and the people you work with then you will be happy there. I believe that when you are confident in your practice it shows in your work, and that’s what it’s all about.