AMBER Bristow (pictured) is quite an asset for Nottingham's hospitals.
The 37-year-old has picked up experience in healthcare on three continents and performs the role of both a nurse and a doctor.
After two years of extra training the Australian-born nurse became an emergency advanced nurse practitioner and can make a massive difference to the workload in the Queen's Medical Centre's Emergency Department – taking the decisions of a doctor while also providing the care of a nurse.
Amber, who has worked at NUH for seven and a half years after nursing in Australia and Saudi Arabia, said: "Our department was forward-thinking and they trained a lot of us up.
"I work every day seeing patients alongside doctors – I am their clinical decision-maker, so I can work out what's wrong with them rather than going on to a doctor.
"It is varied work and it's constantly busy. I am very lucky because I love my job."
But it is not just Amber's everyday work which has seen her nominated for this year's NUHonours awards; the Beeston nurse also plays a significant role working for the Trust's Better for You programme – which aims to improve patient and staff experience.
She said: "I'm quite passionate about service improvement and how we can change our Emergency Department to make it the best place possible for patients and staff."
Amber said she was proud of her award nomination but added: "I don't think any of us do this job to get recognition or nominated for our work – it's just not in the nursing ethos. I've been nursing for 20 years – you don't do it to get an award; it's just your job but I am very humbled by it.
"The NHS is something to be very proud of and the Emergency Department team at QMC has to be one of the best in the world.
"What we're doing every single day is amazing – it's an amazing team of doctors, nurses and health professionals that make a difference to 500 patients every day. That's something to be hugely proud of."
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