In the spotlight
Published: 03 November 2010
Sue Harkness is a health care assistant and member of the RCN’s national HCA/AP project group. Here she introduces herself and explains what the group does to benefit you
About me
After 13 years working in advertising as a business development manager I decided to pursue a more meaningful career. I’ve now been an HCA in general practice for four years and love every minute of it. No two days are the same and I’m constantly challenged by the variety of tasks I’m asked to do.
On a typical day I run my own clinics which can include phlebotomy, smoking cessation, new patient checks, Doppler testing, blood pressure checks, breath tests, removal of sutures, assisting in minor surgery, ECG, ear irrigation, B12 injections and flu and pneumonia jabs when the season kicks in. I’m also responsible for ordering stock and dealing with month end script claims. It sounds like a lot but I’m part of a great team of nurses and GPs and have always felt supported in my role.
So that’s my day job but I’m also proud to be involved with the RCN as a member of the national HCA/AP project group. This is a small group of members who have opted to get more involved with the RCN to help highlight the value and importance of HCAs and APs throughout the UK. We meet once every three months and have a set of objectives to work to. Together we try to promote activities that will assist HCAs and APs contribute to high standards of care and, should regulation of the role happen, we hope to have a voice in that important consultation.
Working for you
The last time the project group met was in August. It was my first formal meeting with the team and I looked through the agenda in advance to highlight the things I could contribute to. Two other new members had recently joined and we began the meeting by introducing ourselves and explaining a little bit about where we worked.
The team is made up of HCAs and APs working in a wide variety of practice settings and each one of us represents members from each of the 12 regions and countries of the RCN. We have just two spaces left now, one in the East Midlands and one in Yorkshire and the Humber. If you’re interested in joining the national HCA/AP project group, email lisa.cork@rcn.org.uk
The main item on the agenda was planning the HCAs day for next year’s RCN Congress. This takes place on 10 April at the ACC in Liverpool and is a completely free day packed full of educational sessions, special speakers and tailored advice from the RCN. It’s a great way to network with other HCAs and APs and feel good about your profession. Last year’s event was hugely successful and we evaluated feedback to help us improve even more next time. A plan for the day has already been drawn up so keep an eye out for more details on the HCA community web pages.
Help us to help you
We also had the RCN governance structure explained to us and were asked for our opinion on the HCA handbook as well as what we’d like to see on our section of the website. There was time over lunch to chat with my colleagues and find out more about who is doing what and where. I’m always amazed by the skill mix and variety we have in our roles, while still sharing the same job title. This is a hot topic and we would be keen to hear your thoughts on this. Some work might be needed if regulation of APs and HCAs is taken forward.
Following the meeting I had time to reflect during my train journey back to Newcastle. I love my role in the surgery and want to progress towards assistant practitioner level. Although my current duties have been expanded as much as possible, without the help and support of the RCN I think I might have felt quite isolated over the years. They have allowed me to explore my role, how I can progress and I am delighted to have been asked to join the project group who will have a say on the future for thousands of HCAs across the country.
I’m now looking forward to our next meeting in December when the final programme of events for RCN Congress will be revealed. Register your interest to attend so you can be kept up to speed with all the latest developments.