A well-known nurse who has led our urology department since its inception is saying her goodbyes as she retires after more than 40 years in her career.
61-year-old Karen Kilburn, from Kirklevington, began her nursing career on 7 June 1982 at the University Hospital of North Tees.
As a newly qualified nurse aged 18, she worked in surgery and orthopaedics before achieving her first ward sister post at 26-years-old on the new urology ward. She was the youngest ward sister the hospital had ever had at that time.
Karen worked as sister on the ward until she was promoted to urology specialist nurse manager – a position she has held for 26 years, developing and expanding the service to make it what it is today.
She said: “I’d always wanted to be a nurse from being about four-years-old. I’d never, ever thought about another career – I’ve never wanted to do anything else.
“I remember sitting in sixth form watching them put parts of North Tees up. I knew that’s where I wanted to be. I’ve been here 42 years and I’m happy to say I’ve never regretted a day coming to work.”
A career of many firsts
Supported by Mr Gilliland, a former consultant at the hospital, Karen’s career has seen many firsts.
The urology unit was the first department in the hospital to pre-assess patients undergoing major surgery, shortly followed by the colorectal unit. Karen was also the second person in the country to qualify as a flexible cystoscopist – a procedure used to look inside a person’s bladder to diagnose or treat bladder conditions.
Karen continued: “The highlight of my career has been the support I’ve had from everybody to make change. I had a lot of support from Mr Gilliland and the other consultants who were very forward-thinking.
“We had a vision to advance the service, to bring in nurse-led systems, and it really worked. The team of specialist nurses and care practitioners really are highly skilled and take on many responsibilities. It’s what we always intended to allow us to provide clinical excellence within the team.
“Being supported by an excellent secretarial team is essential and I can only thank them for everything they do to keep our department running efficiently and professionally.
“The majority of our review and follow-up work now is nurse-led. Over the years, there’s been so many changes in the way we treat our cancer patients. And the expansion of the specialist nurse service has had a dramatic impact in getting patients through the service quickly, safely and effectively – with support through their cancer journeys and beyond.”
Sad to go
Christmas Eve will mark Karen’s last day working at the University Hospital of North Tees. She will return in January, however, for a farewell party with her beloved colleagues.
She is looking forward to some well-deserved downtime with her husband and babysitting her baby granddaughter, Edie.
Karen said: “I’ll miss the people. Everybody’s working together, trying their best to support each other and doing their best for the patients. That’s everyone’s ultimate goal – to do their best for the patients.
“I’ve always been North Tees through and through and I’d just like to thank everybody for being there for me all the time.
“I’m very sad to go. It’s been my life for 42 years – but you’ve got to go sometime.”
