A day in the life of a Cardiac Catheter Lab Nurse

30th August, 2017

Posted by Pulse Jobs

Nursing

Working as an agency nurse, midwife, healthcare assistant or ODP can expose you to new opportunities and experiences. Although working in a permanent position allows you to build your practical knowledge in a familiar setting, agency work enables you to apply your skills in many different surroundings.

Pedro, a Cardiac Catheter Nurse has worked all over the globe, as both a permanent member of staff and an agency professional. He tells us about his experiences to date.

Where and when did you start your training?

I started training as a nurse in 2006 in my hometown Coimbra, Portugal. In 2010 I qualified and started practicing as a nurse in Portugal.

When you qualified what was the first job you had?

My first job was as a home care nurse. The homecare package was supported by the Portuguese National Health Service in an Amadora. It was the perfect transition into working life with a lot of exposure to wound care treatment. I worked there for five months, until I moved. I’m still in contact with some of the people I worked with, I really enjoyed it.

Do you have a favourite place you like to work?

I’ve worked in ITU and cardiac catheter lab in Santa Marta Hospital in Lisbon, the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust until I decided to expand my career and do agency work. I can’t say I have a favourite hospital, but there are a lot of aspects that I enjoyed in all of the Trusts I have worked for. I certainly miss a lot of my old colleagues they really do make the job for me.

What are your career highlights?

I think a personal highlight was probably participating in educational papers and posters for the Portuguese Cardiology Conference. I have also been part of the same sort of conferences in Southampton. However, being one of the first nurse’s works in the UK leading some of the first cardiology procedures is something to certainly remember.

How long have you been working for Pulse?

I first decided to start working for Pulse because of the financial advantages. I joined in April 2016 and loved the freedom agency work gave me. I also feel like I’m in control of my time and schedule, whilst still working in the nursing specialism I like the most. Since joining Pulse my quality of life has improved significantly. There isn’t such a thing as a ‘typical day’ in nursing, especially when working in cardiology or very complex cases of care, which is something that I love about my job.