Why I value my time as a trustee
I value my time as a trustee because it allows me to do something I am passionate about which is contributing to healthcare improvements and quality improvement. I enjoy being able to feel I am doing work which is of value at a national level, improving the education of urology nurses and helping ensure best practice is promoted in the field of urology.
It is also a fantastic opportunity to network with experts in the field and has been great making new friendships also. It is a busy role but I would encourage anyone to consider it who has interest in contributing to the future of urology healthcare.
Why I have a passion for urology
I developed passion for urology for a few reasons. There are many specialisms within it therefore it offers the opportunity to have a very specialist career, be that in a benign or oncology role. Also many of the roles allow for very autonomous practice, in my own role I see patients from pre-diagnosis through diagnostics to treatment and then nurse led follow up meaning I have many patients who never see a consultant.
It’s a very rewarding role where I get to ensure my patients are well cared for and supported. Urology has been such a rewarding career choice and I couldn’t have imagined the fabulous opportunities within it.
Biography
Leann has been a nurse since 2011, starting her career at Scarborough General Hospital with a background predominantly in endoscopy and colorectal roles. She assisted in urology lists and clinics in her time at Scarborough and maintained an interest in the field. She has been a Uro-Oncology CNS specialising in prostate cancer since April 2021. Her role involves carrying out TRUS prostate biopsy and clinics in oncology follow up, prostate assessment, robotic surgery follow up, two week wait clinic and MDT results as well as monitoring men on active surveillance/watchful wait. She has experience in bladder dysfunction, ISC/ISD teaching, benign bladder instillations and intravesicle bladder chemotherapy.
Leann has an MSc in Advancing Healthcare Practice and has also gained a Post Graduate Diploma in Prostate Cancer Care in 2023. She is currently studying for a Clinical Doctorate at University of Stirling and is an independent non-medical prescriber.
She is highly passionate about improving patient experiences and enjoys being able to contribute to the future of urology nursing working with BAUN. She gained one of the Prostate Cancer UK Clinical Champion places for 2022/23 aiming to create better patient experiences by working on an improvement project to improve patient safety, provide better patient outcomes and decrease cancer wait times for biopsy procedures by aiming to train in and bring nurse led LATP biopsy to her Trust. She won the Bronze award at the BJN Awards 2023 in Urology Nurse of the Year category and received recognition from the Scottish Parliament for her achievements.