Who are we?
Start you career with us in the medicine directorate where you will gain extensive knowledge and experience caring for patients across all medical specialities. Come and work in a fast-paced environment where every day is different.
We support all or our teams to help develop and thrive to make meaningful contributions to our patients’ health. Let us help shape your career and help you reach your potential.
Our dynamic and diverse directorate is made up of three key areas which are the acute medical unit (AMU), general medical wards and gastrointestinal/liver ward.
AMU
The acute medical unit (AMU) is a 66-beded unit providing rapid assessment, investigation and treatment for patients admitted urgently or as an emergency from the emergency department (ED), and/or referred by their GP.
The AMU operates in close association with the ED and admits patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Patients stay in the AMU for up to 48 hours, during which time a management plan will have been instigated by the consultant-led acute care medical team.
Following treatment in the AMU, patients may be well enough to be discharged back into the community; or if requiring further inpatient specialist care, are transferred to the care of an appropriate specialty team at the hospital, or in one of NHS Lothian’s other specialist hospitals
We have 12 telemetry beds within the department for patients who require a period of telemetry. You will be able to rotate into this area to learn the basics of telemetry using metrics, structured logs, and traces to help diagnosis patients’ symptoms.
The department also has the only dedicated Clinical Toxicology Unit in Scotland. Our service is a 10 bedded area within AMU and treats over 1700 patients every year and is involved in the care of many other patients in the hospital’s ED and critical care units. The unit works very closely with our liaison psychiatry service who are co-located on the ward and share in the care of all patients with a diagnosis of self-harm.
General medical wards 207 & 208
We have two general medicine wards, each consisting of 36 beds which are made up of 6 x 4 bedded bays and 8 cubicles.
We care for a wide variety of patients with a range of acute medical conditions; diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, respiratory distress, Parkinson’s, alcohol and drug related disease, infections – skin, bladder, kidney, chest.
Our aim is to support and teach our staff to have the clinical knowledge and skills to deliver safe, quality person-centred that is delivered will be based upon dignity, empathy, and respect.
We strive to always do the right thing for people we care for, to speak up when we believe things are wrong and to commit to improving care and patient experience.
Gastrointestinal & liver ward 205
We are a 30 bedded inpatient specialised unit who look after patients with liver and gastrointestinal diseases and disorders.
Our patients can be acutely unwell. They can present to us with GI bleeds either caused by ruptured gastric varices or gastrointestinal disorders. Our gastrointestinal patients may have had GI bleeds caused by gastrointestinal ulcers, gastric or oesophageal cancers. We also look after people with gastric outlet obstruction, ulcerative colitis, angiodysplasia and functional gastro disorders.
Our liver patients can have a multitude of diseases: alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases, hepatic cell carcinoma, medication induced liver injuries, primary sclerosis cholangitis, portal hypertension and hepatic encephalopathy.
Although we are a medical ward our patients also go for procedures and theatre, and we look after patients pre and post op. We also step-down patients from our Critical Care wards and look after general medicine patients as required.
Follow this link to hear from some of the team working in ward 205: https://vimeo.com/channels/1846051
What can we offer newly qualified nurses?
- Two-week supernumerary protected time with the education team
- Department specific Inductions as well as introduction to the Royal Infirmary and the wider hospital
- Enrolment into the hospitals NQN programme and Flying Start programme
- Dedicated Buddy/Preceptorship on starting on the ward
- NQN Peer support WhatsApp group
- Individualised Personal Development Plan with 1:1 support from Senior Charge Nurse and Education team
- Support and assistance with completing and up keeping with the mandatory LearnPro
- Support and input with the AMU Ward Educator to continue with education and development
- Timely enrolment on all required clinical courses as per the individual’s needs (Venepuncture, Cannulation, IV Therapy, NG’s, ECG’s, Bladder scanning, and Catheters, etc)
- Ad hoc and planned in house training on the ward (Wound Care, Deteriorating Patients, Fire Safety, Violence and Aggression, etc)
- Quick and efficient set up to all IT and databases to support clinical practice
- Support to become a student nurse supervisor
- Education and active participation in delivering and achieving the Lothian Accreditation Care Assurance Standards
- Support and encouragement in the engagement of Quality Improvement (QI) and QI projects.
What career progression is available?
- Individualised Continuing Professional Development Plan geared towards your interests and learning needs.
- Development and support to becoming an experienced nurse, ward leader and role model; representing ward/speciality hospital safety and capacity meetings, staff allocation and skill mix, peer support and junior nurse supervision.
- Becoming a Student Nurse Assessor
- Attending experienced nurse training – ILS – Immediate life support, CADM – Clinical assessment decision making course, leadership courses- people management, managing difficult conversations
