A day in the life of an outpatient nurse
Hear from Jess, an outpatient nurse at Devizes Surgical Centre.
“Hi, I’m Jess and I’m an Outpatient Nurse at Devizes Hospital Surgical Centre. Last year I completed a Return to Nursing course at The University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol. I had been out of nursing for 11 years having chosen to be a stay at home mum with my two children.
“As you can probably imagine, the thought of returning to the clinical area was pretty daunting, but the nurse in me just wouldn’t go away! During the duration of the course, I was on a busy orthopaedic Trauma ward in a large general Hospital. It was a baptism of fire and utterly exhausting although thoroughly enjoyable and I was very pleased to find that I hadn’t forgotten much over the years.
“However, when it came to finding a permanent job, I wanted to get away from the madness of the general hospital where I rarely got a break and it cost a fortune to park my car (if I was lucky enough to find a space!)
“A friend pointed me in the direction of Practice Plus Group and Devizes Surgical Centre. I arranged a tour and was pleasantly surprised at what I found. The staff were very welcoming. The centre itself was clean, light and airy and I could park my car for free!
“It didn’t take me long to decide that this was where I wanted to work.
“There was a vacancy for a Pre-assessment nurse advertised. I’d never done outpatient nursing before, but I saw my return to nursing as an opportunity to try something new!
“The rest as they say is history. I was offered the post and I started work on the 1st June 2015. I really haven’t looked back. The team of staff here are lovely and the centre is a pleasure to work in. Don’t get me wrong, this is nursing and it can be pretty hectic but somehow it feels more manageable in this environment.
“My job is to ensure that anyone consented for surgery is fit to have it carried out. I do a set of baseline observations and ask in depth questions about their medical history, this may involve taking bloods and ECGs too. We assess for a variety of different procedures from dental and cataract surgery to orthopaedic, general surgery, ENT and more. This keeps the job interesting as it’s something different everyday. The hours work well for me with two young children as there are no nights, Sunday or bank Holiday shifts.
“I have worked here for almost a year now and enjoy it immensely. I would highly recommend anyone returning to nursing to consider working in one of these lovely hospitals.”
Current vacancies
| Job title | Location | Contract type | Schedule type | Closing date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHS 111 Clinical Advisor | Suffolk NHS 111 Service | NHS 111 | Permanent | 19 Nov 2025 |
| NHS 111 Clinical Advisor | London NHS 111 Service | NHS 111 | Permanent | 19 Nov 2025 |
| NHS 111 Clinical Advisor | South East Coast NHS 111 Service | NHS 111 | Permanent | 19 Nov 2025 |
| NHS 111 Clinical Advisor | South West NHS 111 Service | NHS 111 | Permanent | 19 Nov 2025 |
| Advanced Clinical / Nurse Practitioner – CAS | Suffolk and North East Essex CAS | Out of Hours (OOH) | Casual/Bank | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Advanced Nurse / Clinical Practitioner | Worcester Out Of Hours | Out of Hours (OOH) | Self employed | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Advanced Clinical / Nurse Practitioner | Warwickshire Out Of Hours | Out of Hours (OOH) | Self employed | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Advanced Nurse / Clinical Practitioner | North East Essex Out Of Hours | Out of Hours (OOH) | Self employed | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Advanced Nurse Practitioner | The Junction Health Centre | General Practices | Permanent | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Advanced Nurse / Clinical Practitioner | Brighton Station GP & Walk-in Centre | General Practices | Permanent | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Sonographer | Practice Plus Group Diagnostics Buckinghamshire | Hospitals, Surgical Centres, MSK and Diagnostics | Permanent | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Bank Podiatrist – HMP Werrington | West Midlands HMYOI Werrington | Prison Healthcare | Casual/Bank | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Bank Podiatrist | Bucks Physio and Podiatry in Health and Justice | Hospitals, Surgical Centres, MSK and Diagnostics | Casual/Bank | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Physiotherapist – Gatwick IRC | Gatwick IRC | Hospitals, Surgical Centres, MSK and Diagnostics | Permanent | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Healthcare Assistant – Ward | Practice Plus Group Hospital Shepton Mallet | Hospitals, Surgical Centres, MSK and Diagnostics | Permanent | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Podiatrist – HMP Preston, HMP Kirkham and HMP Lancaster Farms | HMP Preston | Hospitals, Surgical Centres, MSK and Diagnostics | Permanent | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Bank Radiographer | Practice Plus Group Hospital Shepton Mallet | Hospitals, Surgical Centres, MSK and Diagnostics | Casual/Bank | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Associate Head of Governance | Reading | Central Services | Permanent | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Scrub Practitioner | Practice Plus Group Hospital Shepton Mallet | Hospitals, Surgical Centres, MSK and Diagnostics | Permanent | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Podiatrist – HMP Whatton | HMP Whatton | Hospitals, Surgical Centres, MSK and Diagnostics | Permanent | 31 Oct 2025 |
News and blogs
You’ll find a wealth of information in our knowledge hub.
