Kaylee's Journey: Student to Nurse

Kaylee started her journey with Teesside Hospice on a two-week student placement, coming to our Lymphoedema Clinic to gain hands-on experience and advice from our expert team.

What she didn’t expect was that this two-week placement would lead to a nurse position within the clinic just a few months later! Here, Kaylee shares more about her journey within the Lymphoedema Clinic and why she loves being part of the team:

“I first came to the Lymphoedema Clinic in April 2026 as a third-year student nurse for a two-week placement. From the moment I spent time with the team I was made to feel so welcome and part of such a special team, I didn’t want to leave. A position was available for a Bank Health Care Assistant so I applied on my last day of placement and got the position, which was great as I could work whilst still doing my degree.

As I approached the end of my studies at uni, a vacancy for a nurse became available with the clinic, I applied and spent so much time preparing for the interview. I interviewed in June and got the position as a nurse! So technically from being on placement as a student, I’ve never really left.

I love working at the Lymphoedema Clinic. What stands out to me the most is the way the team treat their patients. The kindness, compassion and genuine care they show to every patient is amazing. They look beyond the condition and see the patient, making them feel understood, valued and cared for as individuals. It is clear the team do more than clinical care, they make a difference to people’s lives, confidence and wellbeing. I feel incredibly privileged to be part of such a wonderful team.

A day in the Lymphoedema Clinic involves supporting patients through their appointments, carrying out assessments of swelling and skin integrity and learning about treatment approaches such as compression therapy, skin care, exercise and self-management. As I’m transitioning from a student nurse to registered nurse the team are great at supporting me through my preceptorship. Rather than letting me simply observe they take their time to explain their clinical reasoning and share past experience that will help develop my confidence as a lymphoedema nurse.”

To find out more about working at Teesside Hospice, check out our vacancies page.