How I got here: CASH Nurse

Harriet Smith, Brook’s Contraception and Sexual Health Nurse in Training from our all-age service in Cornwall, tells us about her realisation that Brook was where she needed to be and how she got here. She also shares her top tips for healthcare professionals to stay mentally healthy.  

I’ve wanted to work for Brook for years and years, ever since my eldest daughter hit her teens and I became aware of the distinct lack of RSE and local services available for young people. I’ve been a trained nurse for a long time but at that moment I was working in a school as a teaching assistant with my two younger children. After a bit of research, I had the realisation that Brook was where I needed to be! 

I needed to do my ‘back to nursing’ course, so once that was done, I was slowly but surely working towards my goal. After working in a local nursing team for several years, I got a role in Brook’s education team. I’m not sure at the time that I knew what I was getting into but I absolutely loved it! I was part of a small team and together we had a presence in almost every school in Cornwall teaching years 9-11. We also reached out to community groups such as young mums and young adults with learning difficulties.

It was an amazing experience; hard work but I learned so much. I felt very at home in the job.  

It was through this foot in the door that I was then appointed as a Contraception and Sexual Health Nurse in Training (CASH NiT). I’d been a district nurse for years so I had a lot of nursing experience but this was my first clinical sexual health role. One of the challenges with sexual health nursing is that it can difficult to get into if you don’t have the experience or training, and it’s difficult to get the onto the courses if you’re not in the job. To overcome this, I put myself through a general Sexual Health in Practice course at UWE in Bristol which gave me a good grounding and some insight into the role. Thankfully Brook have facilitated my training ever since.  

Just after I got my CASH NiT place, Covid happened. My plan had been for the whole family to relocate to Bristol and to continue my training there but when the pandemic hit, we reassessed and just decided that Cornwall was where we wanted to stay. Now I’m not sure why I ever wanted to leave! 

So, with that change of plan, I had to reapply for a training role. I started again in June 2021 as a CASH NiT and through this began my Faculty Diploma and all my CASH nurse training.

It’s been an amazing experience to have access to all that training and I would definitely highlight that as a benefit for anyone thinking of starting a career at Brook.

Everyone has been supportive and I’ve had fantastic mentors and trainers who have helped me get to where I am now, and I’m delighted to have just signed off my diploma so I’m no longer a nurse in training! 

The biggest change in coming back to working for Brook in June was that Brook’s first all-age service had been mobilised so rather than working with under 25s we now support people of all ages, with a focus on promoting digital services for those that choose to access support that way.  

For me, this meant coming back into a new team including people who had been TUPE’d (transferred) over, and learning a lot about the different needs of our all-age service users. It feels subtly but also fundamentally different. I might be doing the same thing – providing contraception or giving sexual health advice – but because I may be speaking to someone in their 40s, they have such different life experiences. And from a personal perspective, as an older (and perimenopausal) woman, it is so rewarding to care for people through the different life stages. I’ve had some really lovely conversations with older people who are just so grateful that Brook is here.

Often people don’t realise that they can come to us and have the conversations that, for their whole lives, have been deemed embarrassing or off limits.  

It’s also nice to be able to speak to and support parents when they come into our clinics. Whether they need advice in talking to their YP about gender diversity or understanding the law and young people’s right to access services. I always felt, when I was teaching, that I really wanted to have more opportunities to work with the parents and to break down some of the stereotyping and stigmas that still exist. I feel like no matter how inclusive our RSE is for young people, it’s never going to be 100% effective if they are subject to discriminatory and old-fashioned opinions at home. 

In terms of my day-to-day life at Brook, it’s just so varied. There’s a lot to think about in a in a clinical day, and if you get a patient who comes in just for repeat pills, it’s a rare relief because that’s very straightforward. Sadly, people’s lives often aren’t straightforward, especially at the moment. We’re still seeing the effects of a global pandemic, and we know that increasing numbers of young people in rural areas are experiencing mental health problems. We have a strong safeguarding process which is a whole team effort.  

It’s really important to me that I look after myself and do things outside my work to support my mental health. I am so fortunate to be able to enjoy all that Cornwall has to offer and swim in the sea often. I also feel really proud to be one of Brook’s Wellbeing Champions, helping others to do the same.

It’s been great to have the opportunity to be part of an organisation-wide initiative and to draw on my experiences as a mum of teenagers and a nurse. 

I also try to support my colleagues locally and to encourage people to talk about their mental health. I’m hoping to do Brook’s mental health first aid course this year, it would be great to have that under my belt so people would know they can come to me confidentially. To further this, I plan to continue my psychosexual counsellor training in January of next year, having done a foundation counselling course during the pandemic. 

So, with my wellbeing hat on, I’m going to end with some top tips for my colleagues and clinical peers to stay mentally healthy: 

1. Prioritise yourself: Take some time to do something that is just for you. It doesn’t have to be lengthy or expensive; meditation apps are great at helping you unwind from the stresses of the day. 

2. Witness nature: It’s well evidenced that we need to be outside more. We sit for long days in clinic, so get outside and breathe in that fresh air, daily if possible.  

3. Move: This is easier said than done, but if you are in a clinic all day, or at a desk, I encourage you to stand and move regularly throughout the day – do some star jumps and get your colleagues to join in!! 

If you are really short on time you can do all three of these things at once with a quick stomp round the block at lunch time.  

Nurses can be pretty stoic so I think there are possibly some barriers to break down. It’s a demanding role and therefore it is vital to look after our own wellbeing first and foremost, so we can continue to help everyone else look after theirs.