Month: December 2021

Society Endocrine Ambassadors Dr Gemma Gardner and Dr May Khine are both foundation year two clinicians in the Peninsular deanery (Torbay and Derriford Hospital) who intend to specialise in endocrinology and diabetes. In this short blog they share the endocrinology and diabetes teaching series they have developed.

We are both very excited to share our endocrinology and diabetes teaching series which took place between October and November 2021. When working as foundation year one trainees, we felt that dealing with diabetic and endocrinology related dilemmas on the ward was often daunting for junior members of the medical team. We decided to develop and organise a five-session teaching series aimed at junior doctors, physician associates and medical trainees with the aim of improving their confidence and knowledge for managing endocrine and diabetic issues on the ward and on call.  

“It was a great opportunity for students to ask and discuss topics with experienced endocrinologists which ultimately gave medical trainees a confidence boost to manage endocrinology and diabetes ward/ on-call dilemmas.”

The teaching sessions were delivered online by endocrine and diabetes registrars and consultants, both at Torbay and Derriford Hospital, who kindly gave up their time to be involved in the teaching sessions. The sessions were highly informative and interactive with top tips shared around each topic. It was a great opportunity for students to ask and discuss topics with experienced endocrinologists which ultimately gave medical trainees a confidence boost to manage endocrinology and diabetes ward/ on-call dilemmas. 

It was a valuable experience to host and lead this teaching series and we were very pleased to receive such positive feedback from participants which attended from across the Peninsular deanery. These are some typical examples of feedback we received:

Type 1 diabetes and types of insulins – “A really helpful lecture on a topic that I am often uncertain about managing on cover shifts. It was really useful to have stepwise advice as to what to do when called to see a hyperglycaemic patient on the ward and how to adjust their insulin in response”.  

“Great practical advice pitched at a good level for junior doctors about common issues” .

Electrolyte abnormalities – “Picked out important points and gave clear algorithms, thank you for organising”.

Endocrine emergencies and disorders – “Information was concise and cleared up some misconceptions I had”.

We look forward to inspiring and promoting the Society for Endocrinology to the younger trainee population in future events. Look out for more events through our teaching platform “How2Doc” on Facebook or contact us through email gemma.gardner9@nhs.net or may.khine1@nhs.net.

If you want to find out more about our Endocrine Ambassadors or would like to apply to become one please visit our webpage.

Aldons Chua is a nurse manager of the endocrine investigation suite in Eastbourne. In our interview he tells us about how he came to this role and the research he is doing with his Endocrine Nurse Grant.

How did you get into endocrinology?

I began my career working as an endoscopy and liver transplant nurse in the Philippines. I set foot in England in 2016 and started as a staff nurse in an acute medical unit at Eastbourne DGH. Endocrinology nursing was unknown to me until a colleague and friend who is now my manager, Maria Ravelo, invited me to do some extra shifts in the endocrine suite. During my shifts, I met patients with rare endocrine conditions and hearing their stories made me fascinated with the specialty.

Can you tell us about your current position?

My main role at present is managing the endocrine investigation suite, covering two district general hospitals, which includes performing dynamic function tests and providing health education for patients with adrenal insufficiency. I also facilitate the commencement and monitoring of treatment for general endocrine disorders.

What do you most enjoy about your work?

What I really enjoy is the autonomy as a nurse and collaboration with the multidisciplinary team. There is also so much support from colleagues even from different organisations and a variety of opportunities to grow personally and professionally. And, of course, seeing my patients have an improved quality of life through the care our team provided is the most rewarding part.

What are you most proud of in your career?

Becoming a nurse in the UK is what I consider as my proudest moment. As an overseas Filipino worker, it was a big leap of faith to move away from my family and homeland to work in another country with so much difference in language and culture. But it is such a blessing to have very supportive colleagues and managers who I have worked with since the very beginning, especially when it comes into my career aspirations.

How has your work been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?

It has been very challenging. My associate practitioner and I were re-deployed to a COVID ward for 2 months during the first lockdown and our endocrine service was placed on a 10% service capacity. This caused a significant impact on the timings of our patient appointments, especially the investigations and teaching. However, it also made us resilient and innovative in our efforts to maintain the quality of care we provide while ensuring patient safety.

What do you think are the biggest challenges in your field?

We have a vision in our endocrine nursing service to provide excellent, safe and compassionate patient-centred nursing care. The biggest challenge is to keep the vision going, knowing that we only have very limited time and resources.

You have been awarded an Endocrine Nurse Grant, what was the application process and how did you find it?

Initially, I was reluctant to apply, as I had reservations about whether I qualified as I am still an early career nurse. I am very grateful to my mentor/research supervisor Dr Sofia Llahana who encouraged and guided me throughout the process. Also, the Society for Endocrinology set clear guidance on the website and the team were helpful in responding to my queries which made the process easier to follow.

What will the grant be used for?

The grant will be used to fund our research project which is investigating the barriers and enablers in the use of injection devices during adrenal crises for adrenal insufficiency (AI) patients. In the UK, most centres provide 3ml syringes and a needle or a safety syringe, depending on the centre, which are included in an emergency hydrocortisone injection pack. Although AI patients receive training on how to use these syringes there are still reports that they are unable to administer the hydrocortisone injection during an adrenal crisis due to the complexity of the device. First-hand reports of these problems from our own AI patients led to the research project. Adrenal crisis is a life-threatening event and the emergency injection of hydrocortisone can save a patient’s life. This grant will help us explore the experiences of AI patients on their use of the current hydrocortisone device during an adrenal crisis. The outcome will provide evidence of potentially modifiable barriers associated with the use of the current parenteral hydrocortisone in preventing adrenal crisis and will inform the development of future interventions.

What are your plans after completing this project?

I am looking forward to take on future projects looking at how we can further help and support our patients with adrenal insufficiency manage their condition even better. We are starting new nurse-led clinics soon and expanding the endocrine nursing service to help accommodate our increasing number of endocrine patients.

What advice would you give to anyone considering applying for the Endocrine Nurse Grant?

My first challenge was how to begin, so I connected with a mentor who works in the same area. Then, I familiarised myself with how to make a competitive research proposal as this is my first application. I believe that as nurses we have a huge desire to make a difference to the lives of our patients, and research is just one way. Take courage, and if you fail on the first attempt don’t lose heart, just keep on trying and improving.

Learn more about the Society’s Endocrine Nurse Grant and how to apply before the next deadline. Visit our dedicated endocrine nurse careers webpages for more advice and opportunities.