Nick is currently working as an Advanced Practitioner in Colorectal services at the North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and his professional background is as a Registered Nurse. Nick has worked within surgical services since 2015. Alongside his clinic duties, Nick is the trust Lead for Advanced Practice.
Nick works at Level 7 across the four pillars of
advanced practice
| Clinical | – Complex case load management of the complete episode of care, Physical assessment/critical clinical reasoning across SDEC, inpatient/outpatient settings. – Coloproctology assessment – Intra-operative complex wound management. – Non-medical prescribing |
| Leadership | – Core membership for colorectal, IBD and intestinal failure MDT – Lead clinician for the GI ward round and leadership of the medical team – 1:1 mentorship for training APs – Leadership/advice for ward staff for colorectal care. – Strategic AP delivery across NBT |
| Education | – Trust wide educational delivery across all professions. – Associate Lecturer for Advanced practice at local HEI – Delivery of advanced practice Trust education events/conference |
| Research | – Presentations of research at national level. – Associate principal investigator- NIHR – Implementation of AP appraisal/evaluation platform – Centre reviewer for the Centre for Advancing Practice, NHSE |
Why did you want to become an advanced practitioner?
Throughout my career I have encountered some inspirational practitioners all contributing outstanding practice. This level of autonomy inspired me to drive forward and start my career in advanced practice.
Feedback from Divisional Director of Nursing: “Nick provides a constant and consistent presence to the service delivering high quality care to service users. The AP role shows a progressive senior clinical pathway for nurses and AHP’s to follow rather than a more traditional managerial role which is less clinically focused”.
How does Advanced Practice benefit patient care?
Advanced practice roles provide continuity of care for both inpatients and outpatients and leadership for nursing, AHP and medical teams. This enhances the patient experience and benefits care as I am able to provide accessibility for complex long-term patients through rapid assessment, alongside integration with the wider MDT for inpatients, managing complete episodes of care for the GI cohort of inpatients, independent of their specialist complaint.
How do you see your future as an Advanced Practitioner?
I get an immense reward through role satisfaction. I enjoy new challenges on a daily basis, drawing on my knowledge and experience has given me a unique edge to care for my patients and allow them to progress through the pathway in a safe and efficient manner. I plan to consolidate my existing skills and continue to develop my knowledge. I gain huge satisfaction in integrating into system and national workforce development strategies and processes for advanced practice and hope to progress to consultant level practice in the future, demonstrating consultancy across the system.
Feedback from Consultant Supervisor: “Nicks role provides an indispensable presence within the team, providing continuity of care that is extremely valuable for surgical patients. Nick provides training and leadership to all members of the team no matter their grade”.
Read more advanced practice case studies from the South West region here