Annie’s nursing journey continues

Student nurse Annie Boyce has been on a whirlwind journey since she joined Oundle Medical Practice, transforming both mentally and physically on her journey to become a practice nurse. She always had ambitions to further her career and, with the support of colleagues and family, she is three quarters of the way through her journey to registered nurse status. She has also lost five stone after deciding that she needed to adopt the healthy eating and exercise advice she gives to patients!

Annie worked in a hospital A&E department for almost ten years and really wanted to make the move to a GP practice. She was at Oundle Medical Centre for around a year before embarking on her Nurse Associate qualification, involving two years of remote university study, practical tasks and placements in other health and care settings. Just six months after passing that, she decide to continue her studies for the final push to become a registered nurse.

It has been gruelling as Annie has combined her full-time job with hours of study, essays and her family. She said: ‘It has been quite a journey! I knew I wanted to be a practice nurse, and I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to do it so soon after my Nurse Associate qualification. I do look back and wonder how I have done it, but I am proud because it was a lot!

‘I had been a HCA in A&E for a long time and felt like I knew a lot already, but primary care is a whole new world and I love how much I have learned. I like the challenge, the responsibilities and the next step up.’

Annie has been mentored by nurses Leanne Thomson and Debbie Rust and is appreciative of the time and advice they have given her. She is now about to go on a 16-week hospital placement at Kettering General Hospital, working in coronary care and A&E.

She said: ‘We have quite a structured working day here, so you generally know how your day will pan out, but the hospital, and particularly the shift work will be very different. It will be a challenge but I am looking forward to completing it.’

Annie says that her patients have been very encouraging. ‘They are the best. I have always had a great rapport with them. They have obviously seen the change in my uniforms through the process as I started in blue, went to purple, and now I am in the white of a student nurse. They ask “you will be staying won’t you?  You are not going anywhere else?”  I say, “no, this is for you guys!”

‘They are so appreciative. It makes it worthwhile. I do it for them because I want to be better. I love coming to work, I love the people and the patients, even though some of them struggle to recognise me as I have now lost so much weight, so for me it is about a whole lifestyle change, and that has been reflected in my career as well. I genuinely love what I do and definitely chose the right career!’

Published: Mar 16, 2026