RBWH Continence Advisor Leanne Morton

When her manager first raised the prospect of becoming the continence nurse, Leanne wasn’t sure about it. At first, she admits, it was the five-day working week that attracted her to the role. But soon into the job, she realised that there was huge scope as a continence nurse to make a real difference in a patient’s life – to make complex challenges feel a little less complex and to ease a patient’s fears and worries through offering expert advice and practical support.

Leanne has given a lot to nursing and the patients she has supported but says choosing a career in nursing has given her just as much in return.

“Nursing has given me confidence, an ability to think on my feet and problem solve and always be on time, much to the annoyance of my children,” said Leanne.

“Above all, nursing has given me perspective and a sense of gratitude for the life I live. Every day I come to work and I see people who are going through big challenges in life and some people who have very little. If I can help make a difference to their quality of life and reassure them that there is support and things are going to be okay, that’s what it’s all about for me.”

When Leanne’s not supporting her patients, she’s working alongside her team to provide the best multidisciplinary care for urology patients and teaching younger nurses the ins and outs of urology and continence nursing.

“There are endless opportunities in a nursing career. It can take you anywhere. Becoming a nurse would have to be one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life,” said Leanne.