Paula Wheat: Advanced Paediatric Nurse Practitioner

Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust

My career progression in the NHS is a great example of the opportunities available through the NHS as an employer.

I left school at 16 with minimal GCSEs and joined the NHS as a student nurse. I have worked my way through the ranks gaining a variety of qualifications including a masters degree. I have been a district nurse and a health visitor and most recently, I qualified as one of the first advanced paediatric nurse practitioners (APNP). I now work in one of the first APNP-led units in the country.

The NHS has given me fantastic opportunities to develop myself and to learn and grow as a practitioner. I have been employed by the NHS for 21 years and feel that I am still learning every day. My career prospects feel as exciting, fresh and challenging as they did 21 years ago.

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