After half a century of caring for patients across Lancashire and beyond, Angela Wilson, a Staff Nurse in Outpatients at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, has hung up her uniform - bringing an incredible 50-year nursing career to a close.
Born in Preston, Angela started her training in general nursing on 5 November 1975 at Preston and Sharoe Green Hospitals on 5 November 1975, and bar a four-year period where she had her children - “Even then, I went back to do a night a week in a care home because I wanted a dishwasher!”
She has been nursing ever since. “I was just 18,” she recalls. “I finished my training at Chorley District Hospital after getting married and buying a house in Astley Village - I could walk to work!”
Since then, Angela’s career has taken her from nights on Winstanley Ward, to nine months in outpatients, before her husband David got a job in York, and they moved there, where they had two girls, Sally and Katie. Her husband then he got another promotion, leading to a move to Scotland and Lanarkshire, south of Glasgow.
After separating from her husband, Angela returned to her roots in Lancashire, where she worked for a while in the private sector on clinical trials. She rejoined the Trust in 2000 and worked on Urology, Ward 15 at Preston for 10 years. Then she was headhunted by her old Sister to do two days at Preston Outpatients and two at Chorley. Then in 2010, after a restructure, she moved full-time to Chorley and has been there ever since!
Angela said: “Wherever I’ve lived, I’ve always found a job – nursing has been good to me. I’m a surgical nurse through and through, and I was on Urology for 10 years, which I loved. I’ve met so many wonderful people along the way, colleagues and patients alike. It’s lovely when people are pleased to see you.”
Reflecting on how much the profession has changed over her 50 years, Angela added: “When I started, if you were 65 you’d be on what they used to refer to as a ‘geriatric ward’ and you wouldn’t be operated on unless it was a dire emergency. Now we’ve got CT scans, Ultrasound, MRIs, PET scans - the progress has been amazing. When I first trained, patients stayed in hospital for 10 days after gall bladder surgery. Now they go home within a couple of hours with the keyhole and robotic surgery. That’s a big difference!”
Though she’s modest about her achievements, after 50 years, she says she’s ready for a change of pace: “People are frightened I’m going to get bored, but I’d like to know what bored is!
“I’m not calling it retirement - I’m calling it a holiday!”
Asked how she feels about stepping away after such an extraordinary career, Angela smiles: “I don’t really feel like it’s been 50 years - it’s flown by! I’ve loved my job. Nursing’s done me well, and I’ve never been out of work. I’ve not always had the job I wanted, but if you stick at it long enough, the right job comes along. That’s what I’ve always found.”
