King’s nurse talks the benefits of Preceptorship Programme

28 October 2021 - Alice is one of 200 newly-qualified nurses to come through our Preceptorship Programme each year

As part of Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, we hear from Alice Read, staff nurse in the hepatology department, about how King’s Preceptorship Programme has helped her in her career so far.

“I am a staff nurse in the hepatology department at King’s. We provide care for individuals with liver diseases, from diagnosis to treatment and, in some cases, transplant! Which is very exciting and a rewarding journey to follow our patients through.

“I have no been qualified and working for just over a year, but also trained at King’s College Hospital for my three university years. The transition between student and staff nurse has been a daunting but incredible one! I always knew I wanted to stay within the Trust as I knew the Preceptorship year is so well run and beneficial for our development, and I thoroughly enjoyed training here. But since working here permanently, being part of a super lovely team full-time and being enrolled onto different study days has helped me so much. I learn something new every day and being part of a community that is supportive and patient-focused is something I love.

“My main learning point of my career so far is that it is always, completely and utterly, OK to ask questions! As a student I always feared that I would look silly or lacking in knowledge. But we all learn from each other and there is always something you may not be as confident in and that is OK too!

“I was inspired to become a nurse because my mum was one. I loved the relationships she had with her colleagues and watching her come home with a smile. She used to make me choose my toys to give up so that she could clean them and give them to patients who didn’t have relatives coming in – and if that was the type of qualities that nurses hold then I wanted to be one too!”