Reflections on Salt Water

  A flat lay image of books mentioned in this blog, a pair of glasses and some hairclips I am often asked about my experiences of training and working as a naval nurse. I can only share my experiences which will be different from other peoples and it is worth remembering that they are now from quite a while ago.  Being in the armed forces has a lot to do with a lifestyle over anything else and it can be all consuming if you live and work within the service environment. There is an expectation of time spent away from home for training, exercises and drafts although there is sometimes stability with longer drafts. It is a culture of working and playing hard, a structured hierarchy with rules can seem odd to others and a culture of high standards and pride in being part of something special. The payoff from having less freedom is the opportunities that others may never get. A chance to visit places, meet people, learn new things. Naval nurses are part of the Queen Alexandra Naval...

I was recently reminded of a time back in secondary school, many years ago doing cross country. For a while I had been in front of one of the sporty girls who then overtook me as we got to the end. For no reason at all she came to find me at the end, took the time to speak to me and explain how she had used me as a pacemaker giving me a few tips for running.  There was no need for her to do that and I don't know why she did. Hopefully I thanked her at the time though because those few words made a difference and changed the way I approached cross country. I went on over the next few years to do a lot of competitive running, visited some interesting places and really enjoyed it. The point of this story is that we rarely know how a tiny bit of advice or support will affect someone. What a difference it may make to someone's life. In healthcare we are interacting with people all the time, sometimes for only a very short time. I have had the privilege of hearing  Tommy Whitelaw ...