03 | How to get started as a referral internal medicine nurse

If you've ever thought about making the jump into referral nursing, but felt like it was too big or scary a leap, then today’s episode is for you.

Today I’m joined by Heather Simcock, a registered veterinary nurse and internal medicine nurse at The Ralph Referral Centre. Heather is a colleague - and friend - and she began working with me as a rotating nurse in 2020. 

In this episode, Heather shares her career so far, and how she went from being unsure about moving into referral practice, to falling in love with medicine and taking a permanent role after one 4 week rotation in the service.

If you’re curious about referral nursing or are thinking of making the leap into referrals yourself, Heather has some great words of wisdom for you.

Making the move into referral nursing can feel like a really scary leap.

It’s too easy to feel not good enough - or like you need to already be a super-skilled, experienced, knowledgeable veterinary nurse before going into referral practice in the first place.

In reality? That’s just not true.

You’re going into referral practice to see new cases that you’ve not seen before, use kit you perhaps didn’t have in your GP clinic, and work with a team of vets and nurses who have a collective wealth of experience to learn from.

No one expects a new referral nurse to know everything - and you shouldn’t, either!

The best thing to do, if you’re moving into a referral role, is to go in with an open mind, and a willingness to learn - and you’ll be surprised at how much you know as time goes on!

Heather started working with me in 2020, initially as a rotating nurse, brand new to referral practice. It didn't take long before she fell in love with medicine and joined our team full-time.

Heather’s introduction to referral practice looked very different to mine. Mine was 11 years ago at the time of writing this (!) and it was very much an ‘in at the deep end’ experience.

Nowadays, though, times have moved on - and there are lots of structured programs introducing RVNs to referral nursing.

Heather undertook a structured ‘internship’ - a one-year, fixed role where she rotated between different areas of the hospital, mentored by the senior nurses in each area, and supported by a training nurse who she checked in with regularly.

This gave her a taster of each area, allowing her to decide which department (or departments) she wanted to go into full-time.

So Heather became a full-time medicine nurse, and it changed her career in a way she didn't think possible.

Heather actually never thought she’d end up in referral practice, let alone to stay in it at the end of her internship. But by trying something new and experiencing different patients and procedures, she ended up finding a passion for medicine she didn’t know she had.

Since then, she’s gone from having a simple goal at the start of her internship - to understand the complicated terms and diseases the clinicians presented at rounds - to now completing an NCert, presenting at journal club regularly, and even speaking at our last CPD day.

So if you’ve got an inkling referrals might be for you - go ahead and give it a try!

You’ll not regret it - and even if you’re not sure about taking a new job altogether, there are always options to do shadow shifts at a local centre.

And although we’re talking specifically about internal medicine in this episode, the same principles apply to any area of referral practice - so regardless of your interest, don’t be afraid to give it a go!

Heather’s episode is jam-packed with advice for nurses in a similar situation - and I know you’re going to find so much value in what she’s shared.

Did you enjoy this episode? If so, I’d love to hear what you thought - screenshot it and tag me on instagram (@vetinternalmedicinenursing) so I can give you a shout out, and share it with a colleague who’d find it helpful!

Thanks for learning with me this week, and I’ll see you next time!