Eimer on what it’s like to be a breast cancer nurse specialist

Can you tell us about yourself and your nursing career?

My name is Eimer and I'm a breast care nurse specialist in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust. I’ve worked in the Southern Trust since 1982, but I took up my current post as a breast care nurse specialist in 2006. As a specialist, I’ve completed my advanced practitioner’s course, and I take my own clinics.

I’ve had an amazing career, one that I could never have imagined. I was given every opportunity to excel. I thank the Trust managers for putting their trust in me and supporting me in every way. 

I was the first breast care nurse specialist in Northern Ireland to complete the nipple tattooing course. This was at a time when women had to wait years and years to have a nipple tattooing procedure after reconstructive surgery. There was only one person providing the service in the whole of Northern Ireland at that time.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

As a specialist nurse, I’m in a really privileged position to listen to my patient’s concerns, worries and feedback, and understand what their needs are versus what we are providing. As you get into a band 7 NHS role, you have more access to working with senior managers and different charities, including Breast Cancer Now. That is a great advantage when moving forward with projects and implementing service improvements. I really enjoy that part of my job and I've been doing that throughout my whole nursing career.

I work with a great team of staff and managers who are committed to their jobs of caring for people in the Southern Trust with breast cancer. 'Teamwork makes the dream work.'

I also love sharing my knowledge and experience and encouraging staff to be the best they can be. It's awe inspiring to see the willingness of staff to learn and provide new services, or to change how services are provided. Seeing new colleagues grow into their service roles as breast cancer nurses and taking on leadership positions is so gratifying.

How did you start working with Breast Cancer Now?

I got in contact with one of your Breast Cancer Now colleagues. We introduced the Moving Forward programme into the Southern Trust to provide local support for our patients on their road to recovery.

I've been also really, really lucky to be able to be involved in Service Pledge, which looks at our whole service. This came from me having a discussion with a colleague whose sister had just been given a secondary breast cancer diagnosis. She didn't know where to turn or who to talk to. We have no secondary breast cancer nurse in our trust which is something I wanted to bring to our senior managers.

I presented the idea of the Service Pledge project and working with Breast Cancer Now to improve our services. In particular, I wanted to look at how we could improve our services for our patients with secondary breast cancer.

What does your typical day in-practice look like?

I’ll start the day by seeing what's going on and what needs to be done. This can include reassuring patients going into theatre, attending to people with wound problems and making sure patients are referred to the right services. Our patient information packs are made up of Breast Cancer now booklets because they're really good. I also give bad news to ladies at the clinic and I'm there to support them as their key worker. I work with families, children, and everybody that has been affected, to help them through that whole journey. 

What do you find most rewarding about being a breast cancer specialist?

There's a lot about my job that's very rewarding. I enjoy working in a team and being there to support our patients. It’s great to watch patients move forward into recovery mode and see them do well in life, taking back control. 

I’m also grateful for the education I’ve received as a surgical nurse, critical care nurse and now as a breast care nurse specialist. It’s allowed me to excel in my career pathway, doing the job I love.

What would you like to say to any aspiring breast cancer specialists?

Work hard, it's a super rewarding job. You’re working with a lot of different people - patients, clinicians, and charities on different support services.

Be motivated to make changes to see the best outcomes for your patients. Stay up to date with new research, be involved in service improvements and audits, and talk to your manager about where you want to be in the future. 

Stay persistent when you hit roadblocks. I went to my manager, colleagues and the consultant nurse for the public health agency to get their support to get the Pledge up and running. So sometimes, you must keep pushing.

If you weren't a nurse, what do you think you'd be doing?

If I was to do it all again, I would still be a nurse. I can't imagine doing anything else because it gives you so many opportunities. 

I retired 2 years ago to help look after my grandchildren who I love dearly but I just had to keep working as a breast care nurse. I now work 2 days a week and couldn’t do without this super job. 

I've shared many happy moments with the true friends I've made since my early days in nursing. Through both joy and sorrow, we've always been there for each other.

Last but not least, I thank all the patients I’ve nursed. They're the reason I do my job and why I continually look at ways I can strive to improve their care experience, with my colleagues and managements support. It is a privilege serving the population of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust.