Trauma and Orthopaedic nurse on why she returned to healthcare | Latest news

A mother of four from Nottingham who loves serving her community has spoken about why she decided to return to nursing after taking time out to raise a family.

Emma Cornforth, a nurse working in Trauma and Orthopaedics at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH), said she has always wanted to be a nurse as well as a full-time mum. Now her children are at school, she felt she could balance both of these things.

Emma said: "NUH have been really encouraging and supportive in order for me to achieve this.  It seemed a strange timing to return to practice in the middle of a pandemic, but it is a time when nurses are needed more now than ever, and it is a huge privilege to be joining the effort.”

“When I left nursing I was busy raising my four children and I started volunteering by serving breakfasts at Hope House where there is also a community food bank. 

“This reminded me how much I enjoy serving in the community and made me consider the possibility of returning to nursing."

Years ago, Emma first trained to be a nurse in Nottingham, in the same area at the QMC where she is working in now.

She always assumed she would apply for a Return to Practice Course through a university and she was disappointed to discover that this would be difficult to do, as no local universities ran the course anymore. 

She discussed this with a friend who worked at NUH and she discovered that there was another route available to enable her to return to nursing.

Nurses are required to be on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register, which shows who can practice as a Nurse or Midwife in the UK, or as a nursing associate in England.

Nurses who take a break from their profession but who want to eventually return, would traditionally need to complete a Return to Practice Course which is studied at University. It is an academic route to become re-registered and it takes around six months to complete.

Emma was able to complete the NMC Test of Competence – a different route for nurses wishing to re-join the register and which is a fully funded programme provided by NUH and Health Education England.

Unlike the Return to Practice Course, Emma has been able to complete her training onsite at NUH while working in our clinical areas as a pre-registration nurse. 

This has many benefits as it has allowed her to gain confidence in a clinical environment, while being supported by clinical and education teams at the same time as being employed by the Trust. This programme has allowed her to develop at her own pace.

Upon returning to a career she loves, Emma said: “The thing I enjoy about nursing is that I love working with people, both in caring for patients and working within a team.  There is always more to learn, and every day is different.

“ It is such a privilege to be so closely involved in the care of patients and relating to their families, at a very vulnerable time in their lives.

“I am so excited to work at Nottingham University Hospitals, it was a great place to train, and the training I’ve had since returning to practice has been amazing! 

“I have learnt so much from the staff and everyone I have worked with has been really patient and friendly.”