Yeah, it was just short-hand! I work semi-regularly in ED for skills (and fun)

We need structures that let us grow professionally without giving up who we are as nurses. It’s time we took this seriously—because future generations are watching how we lead.

We specialise, we silo, and we quietly lose core skills. And then we lose confidence. And once confidence goes, re-entry becomes even harder.

We’re told to “maintain the knowledge and skills for safe and effective practice.” The system doesn’t support that. Unlike midwifery services, where many Trusts require midwives—managers, educators, team leads—to do regular clinical shifts or on-call rota, nursing has no such model. And it shows.

I’m Kyle, an anaesthetic nurse. I love my role—but I worry I’m losing the broader nursing skills I trained in. I haven’t done a bed bath in years. I rarely do observations in a ward context. When I step outside theatres, I feel that loss.

That risks undermining the very team-based care we rely on.

But in anaesthetics, where nurses and ODPs work side-by-side with the same scope of practice, we must ensure any regrading doesn’t create pay disparities between equally qualified team members doing the same job.