Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Leeds Beckett Nurse Research Fellow Graduates With PHD
Sue explained how she coped: “Juggling the stress of trying to analyse results and write a thesis whilst going through a Covid pandemic, as well as the girls doing their GCSEs and A-levels was definitely interesting!
“It has taken a lot of determination, juggling, frustration, stress and sheer bloody mindedness to get through it.”
Her PhD is aimed at helping people with breast cancer manage their long-term pain. Whilst working as an oncology research nurse, she saw patients for follow-up whose biggest long-term issue was persistent pain. She realised that if they could provide better support for acute pain then less would go on to develop persistent pain.
She chose to do her PhD part-time so she could continue to work as a senior breast cancer research nurse and team leader for two days a week, as well as being a single parent raising her three children who were aged 19, 13 and 11 at the start of her PhD. However, a year after starting her PhD, her job-share went on maternity leave meaning Sue chose to work full-time as well as continuing her PhD. She was also looking after her Dad who had advanced dementia during the first three years of her studies. Sadly, he died shortly after her colleague returned to work which she said knocked her for six.
Sue began her career as a student nurse in 1989 after announcing at the age of 7 that she was going to be a nurse! She qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 1992 and worked on a general surgery ward at Seacroft Hospital – this included working with ENT, vascular, minor surgery and breast cancer surgery. She did a specialist course at Hull University in ENT nursing, and Teaching and Assessing in Clinical Practice which she started when her son was six months old. She then did a degree in Biosciences and Health at Leeds Beckett University completing it in five years part-time whilst still working as a nurse full time.
Unfortunately, she then suffered a brain tumour and had to take time off for recovery.
Her most recent role is as a senior breast cancer research nurse at St James’s Hospital in Leeds which she has been doing since 2001. Whilst here, she joined the National Cancer Research Institute Breast Specialist Group – this fuelled her desire to do her own research as well as working on research designed by others.
Sue explains the research she has done to help breast cancer patients: “The web-based intervention involves patients logging on daily after surgery to report their symptoms and pain scores. This provides them with personalised feedback and advice based on what they report. Patients can track their own results and clinicians can review the results as they are linked to the patients’ hospital electronic records. This means appointments can be tailored to discuss problems and issues as well as provision of appropriate support and advice.”
Despite having a lot to deal with already, during the pandemic Sue put her PhD on hold for six months so she could help: “As one of the more experienced members of the team, I was happy to take on additional workload and new roles. I felt it was important as a senior nurse to be willing to do whatever was needed, support those around me and always stay positive.
“It was very hard as in the first six months of the pandemic, I could see things that the general public couldn’t, and I felt that we were unable to do our job as well as we would normally. This made me very emotional especially as we knew what the long-term impact may be for patients diagnosed with cancer.”
Despite everything, Sue completed her PhD and has provided some invaluable advice for others: “Only do a PhD in an area that you truly believe in or have a passion for. When things get hard, if you have a strong motivation for doing the research, then you will find a way through it. My patients have always been my motivation and no matter how hard things got for me I would always find a way as I knew it could help them. Like my Mum used to say, ‘there is always someone worse off than you’. Always remember that research is about trial and error and learning constantly and adapting. If we knew everything in the first place, we wouldn’t need to do research.
“I think that having a supportive, honest and realistic person guiding you is a must. Without, Mark Johnson, Professor of Pain and Analgesia and Director of the Centre for Pain Research in the School of Health, I would not have finished my PhD. He kept me grounded, calm, supported and enthusiastic. I can’t thank him enough. Having the right support team around you is vital; be it work colleagues, family, friends or academics.”
For more information about studying in the School of Health, please click here.