Case studies

Jael Pearce is a nurse on the bubble unit, the children’s bone marrow transplant unit, on ward 3 of the Great North Children's Hospital.

Jael | Staff Nurse

Great North Children's Hospital

'I think the team here on ward three are fantastic, everyone helps and supports each other all the time'


I work on Ward 3 at the Great North Children’s hospital, a unit that specialises in bone marrow transplants for children with immune deficiencies, but we also look after some children who have cancers.

What does your job involve?

A lot of what we do here on ward 3 involves intravenous drug administration, the administration of blood products and chemotherapy. However a lot of our role is also providing emotional support to the patients and their families. Our role also includes education, and teaching parents how to give medicines, how to administer feeds, and how to change dressings for their children prior to going home.

Probably the biggest difference between our ward and others is the fact that all our children are nursed in isolation. All in single cubicles with air flows and air locks. Depending on the child’s isolation criteria, every time you enter the room you may be required to do a 2 minute scrub, this is critical as our children have lower immunity for a lot of their treatment time.

I cannot begin to say how much I have learnt since starting work here, whether you want to gain new skills or develop ones you already have ward 3 is the place to do it. There are many opportunities to go on study days and courses to boost your knowledge in all aspects of caring for a child undergoing a bone marrow transplant

What do you love about your job?

I think the team here on ward three are fantastic; everyone helps and supports each other all the time and works together to get the job done - if you want to work here you have to be a team worker! The patients that we look after are often with us for months at a time, so you really get the chance to build up a relationship and rapport with them and their family, which is really nice. I also like the ratios on the ward, and on a typical shift you would be managing the care of  two patients, with varied needs, but I would have to say getting to know the families and being able to practice family centred care every day is my favourite thing about my job.

Proudest moment so far?

I think the best moments I’ve had since starting on the ward has been seeing the patients leave to go home, knowing that I had a part to play in their treatment and recovery. Its also so nice when patients come and visit once they have been home for a while, and to see how well they are doing and how they are thriving since completing their treatment.

Any tips for finding a job that you love?

Just go for it! I came to ward 3 as a newly qualified staff nurse with no experience in bone marrow transplant at all, I came from a different trust and had never worked in Newcastle before. I have learnt so much in the last year, and the only way you will find the job for you is by going for it and seeing what happens.

Tell us about any travel or unusual aspects of the job

There are opportunities to go to  The European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, which hold annual conferences around Europe.

Sometimes you may be required to go on hospital transfers or accompany patients to and from other hospitals in Newcastle.

Why should someone come and work in your department?

There is no doubt that ward 3 is a busy place to work, but it is very rewarding, and in my short year working here I have learnt so many transferrable skills that I feel will be valuable throughout my nursing career.

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