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International Nurses Day 2022

RAF Medics work with patient.

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on the 12th May every year, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth.  RAF Nurses, Regular and Reserve, provide the highest standards of patient care in a variety of clinical surroundings and are an invaluable part of the RAF. 

Their vital contributions during the COVID-19 Pandemic, providing critical care on operations and deployments, and ensuring the health and wellbeing of personnel on RAF Stations, are just some examples of the excellent work our Nurses do.  This year, we profiled five individuals to learn more: 

Corporal Kaberry

Personnel at office desk.

Corporal Kaberry is currently studying for her Primary Healthcare specialist training and has been accepted onto a Minor Illness and Injury course at Oxford Brookes University.  When Corporal Kaberry is not studying, she works as a nurse at RAF Halton.

Corporal Mckay

Personnel in aircraft carrier, by medical cargo.

Corporal Mckay qualified as a nurse seven years ago and for the past six years has served as an RAF Reservist.  She works as a Senior Critical Care Practitioner at the Forth Valley Royal Hospital providing support to patients and their families through episodes of critical illness.  Corporal Mckay feels her development and training opportunities in both roles have made her a better and more rounded Nurse.

"Thanks to the RAF, I have a leadership qualifications and skills that I can use in my civilian role. Thanks to the NHS, I have all these existing clinical skills and expertise which are so easily transferred into any other environment."

She has also travelled to Norway to take part in Exercise Wintermarch, enjoying extreme cold weather training with the Norwegian Reserves.

Sergeant Thorpe-Gray

Personnel stands by medical vehicle, next to London Bridge.

Sergeant Thorpe-Gray joined the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service in 2012 as a student nurse and has deployed in a pre-hospital role to Kenya as a Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) Practitioner.  She is currently on a secondment with London Air Ambulance’s Physician Response Unit (LAA’s PRU).  The Physician Response Unit is a pioneering Community Emergency Medicine service which aims to deliver safe, effective, and patient-centred emergency care in North-East London.  Sergeant Thorpe-Gray is currently undertaking the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service Induction Course run by the Institute of Pre-Hospital Care and will be the first RAF nurse to have completed this training, and one of three nurses in Defence.

Corporal Spriggs

Personnel rides bicycle.

Corporal Spriggs is a Burns and Plastics nurse working at Defence Medical Services Birmingham.  She works alongside consultants within the cadre assessing and managing patients having gained specialist qualifications.  These skills are utilised on exercises and deployments such as the Hospital Staging Unit.  She also represents the RAF in the mountain bike cross country team.

Sergeant Bowen

Personnel gives thumbs up by metal fencing.

Sergeant Bowen is the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer practice nurse at RAF Odiham with roles varying from cervical cytology screening to smoking cessation clinics.  She also works with the Chinook Force preparing them for their out of area deployments.

Read more about the roles on offer as a RAF Medical Officer or Dental Nurse.

Hear what it takes to be part of the Medical Emergency Response Team with Inside AIR