0-19 Service celebrates International Year of the Nurse

To New Zealand and back, training at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and travelling to Iraq with the British Army – the 0-19 Service team have all taken different routes before arriving at Sheffield Children’s.

2020 is the International Year of the Nurse and to celebrate our 0-19 Service came together to share their nursing journey stories.

Dawn Blake, Specialist Vulnerability Practitioner, talked about how, after securing a place at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, she realised that nursing was actually the career for her.

Dawn said: “It’s such a rewarding job. There’s nothing greater than seeing that you’ve been involved in a family’s life and made a real difference.

“I was once a named nurse for a child with additional needs and then years later I was just shopping and a deep voice called my name. I couldn’t believe it was the father of the child! He showed me pictures of his prom which really made my day.”

Nicola Taylor, Health Visitor/Practice Teacher, took the long way to Sheffield Children’s. After training and working in the city, she travelled to New Zealand to work before returning to start a health visitor course in Rotherham and then later moving to Sheffield Children’s.

Rebecca Sobey, 0-19 Service Manager (North) Paediatric Liaison said: “It was humbling to hear very moving and personal accounts of what brought individuals into a nursing career, which captured the quality and high calibre of practitioners in the 0-19 Service.”

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for more nursing stories throughout the year and if you would like to find out more about the 0-19 Service, please visit our webpage.