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International Nurses Day - Celebrating our team

9 minute read time.
Liza - Macmillan

To celebrate International Nurses Day, we're celebrating our wonderful team of Information Development Nurses. In this blog, we hear straight from the nurses mouth. What did they do before they worked for our team? What's a great memory? What's the best part of the job? Read all about it. 

Our Information Development Nurses write all the information that you see on our website as well as our booklets, factsheets, videos, and audiobooks. Ever been to an information centre? Or visited one of our information buses? The information you pick up on cancer types, symptoms, treatments, and life with cancer is written by this team. For Nurses Day, we're celebrating who they are and all the incredible work they do. So let's hear from them:

This bubble has a quote from Tracy which says: I began my nurse training in the late 80s - right around the time that hats, starched aprons and ‘American tan’ tights were being phased out of the uniform (phew!). I specialised in cancer care from the beginning of my career and worked in various London teaching hospitals. I loved pretty much everything about the job – with the notable exception of night duty (never could get the hang of sleeping in the daytime). But in particular, being able to give people information and help them make sense of their situation was often for me the most rewarding aspect of cancer nursing. So it’s no surprise that I ended up at Macmillan being part of a fantastic team that produces information on all aspects of cancer and its treatment. It’s hugely satisfying to know that we’re providing content that can help people understand their treatment options, make choices that are right for them, and know how to get the help they need.

This image has a quote from Christine, which says: I did my cancer nurse training at the Royal Marsden Hospital. I’ve also worked for Macmillan previously as a specialist nurse in a hospital support team. I’ve now been working the field of cancer information for many years. Answering calls on the Macmillan Support Line gave me lots of experience and helped me appreciate people’s different information needs. It also taught me how to help them to make sense of it. Now when I’m writing information I try to do it as if I’m talking to these people. They are at the centre of what our information development team does.

This image has a quote from Elaine, which says: After leaving school and not knowing what I wanted to do in life I moved from a little town in the North East of Scotland to the bright city lights of Glasgow. I worked in care for 5 years and it seemed like a natural step into nursing. I was excited to join the Macmillan team in October of last year. I had used Macmillan information in my previous roles and saw first-hand how valuable a resource this was for people affected by cancer. It is now a real privilege to be involved in the team that makes this information so accessible for all!

This image has a quote from Richard, which says: I’ve been nursing since the 1980s - when shoulder pads were big and I had a lot more hair (but so did everyone back then)! I specialised in the care of people affected by cancer very early on. Since then I’ve worked in a mix of areas, from the high-tech world of bone marrow transplants to the gentle-paced settings of palliative care. In the late 90s I moved from the NHS to the charity CancerBACUP, who merged with Macmillan some years back – and I have kind of been there ever since. I’m now based in Devon and work part-time. I love being a nurse. I’ve worked with some wonderful colleagues and cared for some amazing people. I’ve had some great opportunities and seen nursing evolve over the years. I’d encourage anyone considering a career in nursing to go for it! Nurses really do “make it better”.

This image has a quote from Teri, which says: When I started my nurse training in 1988, before the public could Google and access the wealth of health information we all can today, there was very little written health information that we could signpost or hand out, to patients and their relatives. We could not print off the relevant information for the patient to refer to in their own time. Information was delivered verbally to patients, at a time when it was usually hard to take much in. At my previous post, we replied to enquiries via hand written letters and sourced our evidence from articles stored in lever arch files! I began specialising in cancer nursing in 1991, gaining several years of in-patient and out-patient nursing experience, before starting on the helpline at Macmillan Cancer Support in 2010. I joined the cancer information team in 2015 and have seen how Macmillan’s vast range of information has continued to broaden over the years. It’s always felt a privilege to be part of team that offers high quality, reliable cancer information. Having a memory of a time when there was so little cancer information available, I am aware of how essential it is to help anyone affected by cancer to make informed decisions and to gain a greater understanding of a cancer diagnosis.

This image has a quote from Karen, which says: When I started out my career as a cancer nurse, I gave out Macmillan information to the people I was giving chemotherapy to. Now I am part of the team who write that information. Back then, I never dreamed I would end up doing this, but I love every minute of it. In between this, I worked for a few years on the Macmillan support line. I love helping people, and working for Macmillan means I get to do that every day.

This image has a quote from Hilary, which says: I’ve worked in the Cancer information development team for a couple of years now. Before that I was on the Macmillan Support Line taking calls from people affected by cancer. And before that I worked as a nurse supporting people having cancer or blood cancer treatments. I love working in information development. It lets me use my clinical experience and learn about all sorts of interesting and, sometimes random, things! The really satisfying bit is interpreting all of that into information that anyone can understand and use.

This image has a quote from Maria, which says: We work daily to make sure we produce information that is clinically accurate, available to everyone who needs it and reflects what is happening in the hospitals, wards and clinics that our readers visit. But most importantly to me is that I get the chance to use my memories and experiences of working directly in hospital, wards and clinics to make sure I am providing information that people really want. It is important to know what is important to our readers – what matters to you to help you live your life. It may be useful to know about your chemo regimen….but it may be just as comforting to know how to get your dog looked after while you are in hospital getting the treatment. Of course it helps to know the details of how radiotherapy is given…but equally important is advice on how to get financial help if you are going to be off work after treatment. And while it helps to know the clinical details of your cancer, we also acknowledge how you feel while going through this and the emotional support you and your loved ones will need. We will direct you, your family and friends to the information and support you need. We are here to let you know you are not alone. Such an important part of what we do is providing information you need and thinking about the information that you don’t yet know you need!

This image has a quote from Rebecca, which says: In my nursing career I have worked mostly in oncology and palliative care. I have worked in hospitals, hospices and the community. I came to Macmillan a few years ago, first working on the support line. I enjoyed speaking to the wide variety of callers we have. It was nice to be able to take the time that people need to help answer their questions and point them in the right direction. I have recently moved to the Cancer Information Development Team and love the teamwork involved in making sure our information is as accurate, relevant and accessible as possible.

This image has a quote from Laura, which says: My background in clinical nursing is mainly in children’s oncology and research nursing. I have been the teenage and young persons information nurse in Macmillan for 8 years. I am passionate for providing high quality health care to this group of unique patients and ensuring they have access to age specific health information. I have been fortunate enough to nurse some inspiring people. One of these is an amazing young girl. I nursed her when she was 3 and having a bone marrow transplant. She is now a teenager and lives with the complications of treatment every day. It doesn’t get her down. Her attitude, positivity and resilience is amazing. She has set up her own charity hand writing letters to other young people in hospital so they don’t feel alone. A quote her mum said which has stuck with me “be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud” and that is exactly what this girl is. I am honoured to have been part of her life.

This image has a quote from Maria, which says: I have been a cancer nurse for many, many (many) years and am so proud to be working now for Macmillan. I am part of a fantastic team of motivated, enthusiastic nurses and editors who work hard to identify and meet the needs of people living with cancer. I’ve always loved being a nurse; but I am so proud to be using my knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to be part of the Macmillan nurse team.

To see what else Macmillan's cancer information team has been blogging about, please visit our blog home page! You can subscribe to receive our blogs by email or RSS too.

We're with you every step of the way

The Macmillan team is here to help. Our cancer support specialists can answer your questions, offer support, or simply listen if you need a chat. Call us free on 0808 808 00 00.

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