INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY CASE STUDY: CHARLOTTE CRELLIN

“My nursing career story doesn’t start off so great, so bear with me. It does get better.  

I never wanted to be a nurse. I was never one of those children who used to play nurse or say I was going to be a nurse when I grew up. My sole ambition was to be Kylie Minogue and sing on Top of the Pops. I plodded along through school not really knowing what I wanted to be. When I finished high school, I still didn’t know. It wasn’t until I was about 25 that I really knew what I wanted to be in life: A nurse.  ‌

My dad was diagnosed with cancer in late 2012 and sadly passed away in 2013. Throughout his illness my mum and I cared for him. I took him to all of his appointments and saw the differing levels of commitment and compassion he received from various health care professionals. On one occasion, we encountered a less than passionate nurse and I felt that I could do better. I could become the nurse that cared and would be there for my patients and their families and not just treat them like one patient in a long line of others waiting to be seen. I said to my mum and dad one day, “I’m going to be a nurse”.  

I applied to the University of Wolverhampton and was accepted onto the adult nursing course. I started my training in 2013 and qualified in January of this year. I thoroughly enjoyed my training and have made some lifelong friends along the way. Alongside my training, I learnt so much about myself; I am incredibly strong and resilient. The support and guidance I received from my tutors helped me no end. My training was a rocky road with my dad passing away and then being in a car accident. There was a time when I wanted to leave the course, however I persevered and made it through.  

The knowledge and strength that I acquired along the way helped me decide what kind of nurse I wanted to be. I didn’t take the normal route most newly qualified nurses take and go to work in a hospital - I made the decision to become a practice nurse and work in a GP surgery. The decision to become a practice nurse was easier than finding the job. Practice nurse jobs are few and far between, but I was offered a job at a GP surgery in Rugeley and started in February.