This International Nurses Day, we’re proud to celebrate the dedication, compassion, and expertise of our nurses across NHS Lothian, from those just beginning their careers to the experienced professionals who have been with us for many years.
Anne Scott, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, is one of those dedicated nurses who has spent her career in NHS Lothian. Although Anne retired, she decided to return to work with us at NHS Lothian. We caught up with her to learn more about her journey.
When did you start working as a nurse?
1982! At that time, it was mostly hospital based rather than in the classroom. I trained at the South Lothian College of Nursing and Midwifery which was mostly based in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE), but we had placements in Sick Children’s, Community and Psychiatry and once trained I was an RGN. For the first year after training, I remained at the RIE and got a badge called a ‘pelican’ which represented the Royal infirmary.
In the early part of my career, I worked in General Medical, Critical Care and Infectious Diseases, including a short time in London.
What was your role when you retired?
I was a Clinical Nurse Manager (CNM) when I retired. I had most recently been covering Surgical and Vascular services which involved working with nursing teams who were very hard working, motivated and keen to deliver as good as possible care to patients and their families. I also spent some time covering Orthopaedic and Major Trauma teams who were also very motivated and hard working. As a Nurse Manager I was also involved in supporting the hospital site in Out of Hours as the senior nurse on site, which could be both demanding and rewarding in being part of keeping the hospital as safe and organised as possible. This required close working with the Site and Capacity team who work to optimise the patient movement on site as well as giving clinical support to the ward areas. The CNM role allowed me to work with my colleagues who covered the rest of the hospital and to see the huge range of roles, specialities and challenges faced (and met!) by the site. I enjoyed this role, but I missed direct patient contact which I had in my previous roles as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, mostly working within the Acute Medicine of the Elderly Department at the RIE.
What changes have you seen over the years?
Many! From our uniforms to the actual training being university based rather than by the hospital. Also, the move from the old RIE building to the new building.
The development of the Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) was probably the biggest change I was part of during my career. I was fortunate to be involved from the very beginning of the ‘Hospital at Night’ service in Lothian, joining the first team to be trained as Nurse Practitioners and later Advanced Nurse Practitioners. This role allowed me to develop and apply advanced skills in assessing, managing, and treating patients, expanding the scope of nursing practice in ways that hadn’t been possible before. Working closely with medical teams, pursuing academic development, and helping to shape innovative advanced practice roles was one of the most rewarding and exciting parts of my career.
What made you want to return after retiring?
Although I was ready to reduce my working week, I wasn’t ready to leave nursing completely. I was lucky to be in a position to be offered a two-day contract to look at Serious Adverse Events on the RIE site and support their progress through the system by working with the medical/nursing teams and senior management team.
What would you say to anyone thinking about nursing as a career?
Nursing has changed so much since I first started! It’s a diverse, exciting, and demanding career. Be prepared to laugh and cry (at times) but know that it offers a world of opportunities, whether in specialist areas, academia, different roles, or even working across the country or internationally. While nursing roles continue to evolve, the foundation of delivering compassionate, general care remains the same. It’s a privilege to have worked as a nurse.
