Just How Medically Trained is Your Medical Practitioner at REVIV?

Have you ever been curious how medically qualified the medical practitioners are at REVIV? Cheryl Lomax, who is REVIV Clinic Lead and Registered Manager in the UK, talks us through her CV…

I always knew I wanted to be a nurse – my grandad was diagnosed with cancer when I was 12 and I was just really caring.

I left school and did my A levels in human biology, psychology and a couple of other subjects. I then went straight from college to university to be study to be a nurse and I qualified when I was 21.

My nursing career started in Accident and Emergency (A&E) which I did for a few years before becoming a resuscitation officer and a clinical skills educator.

I left A&E full time to pursue that avenue and I also qualified to become a teacher whilst I was still in that role. I did my certificate in education as felt it was important to have something to underpin what I was doing in regards to clinical education.

I still worked in A&E even though I was a resuscitation officer because a part of that role was to attend medical emergencies and cardiac arrests so I felt I always needed to keep my skills up to date by still working in the emergency department.

I always wanted to care for people and while in school wanted to be a teacher so I found my niche quite early on in my nursing career and to go from nursing into clinical education I felt like I was ticking every box I wanted to – I could still look after people as well as teaching them.

I loved working in A&E – I enjoyed the high turnover of patients and the complexity of the patients you would deal with but also the different diseases and illnesses that people came in with.

I did feel it was a very reactive kind of nursing, you were treating as you found and trying to stop people from becoming acutely unwell, you had no part to play in prevention – you didn’t have time.

The quick pace the fast face making decisions really quickly it really suited my personality.

I have two cases that stick in my mind but this one has the happiest ending.

One day I was team leading and there was a patient that needed to go to the ward. She had just been started on an antibiotic they’d put it on a few minutes previous and her curtain was closed.

Before she was going up to the ward I went in to check she was ok and found that she had gone into respiratory arrest. Instantly, I turned the infusion off, did a quick assessment then shouted for adrenaline, she responded quickly but deteriorated again and we gave her more. I moved her across to resuscitation and they then looked after her.

Two years later I was at my cousin’s wedding and this lady came up to me and said,  “You don’t know who I am do you?” I had no idea. She went on to tell me I had saved her life in A&E. When she told me her name I remembered.

As a nurse, that was my job, so I never felt like it was above and beyond or anything out of the ordinary but it reminded me how fragile life is and how quickly it can be taken away.

She was in our care because she had an infection, she was given an antibiotic that she had an adverse reaction to (it happens) and in essence that could have killed her.

I could not recount all the traumas I’ve had to deal with, but you will always have things that stick in your mind.

REVIV isn’t just an IV drip therapy company we have had some really complex patients that come into clinic.

For example, in my time with REVIV I have sat with a patient in clinic who was due to start radiotherapy on his head and neck and talked him about his treatment. He opened up to me and told me he was feeling anxious.

This gave his sister, who had come along to the appointment, some reassurance as he wasn’t talking to anyone about it.

Sometimes all patients need is time and an ear to listen, I am able to provide that in REVIV.

We are all medical practitioners, we are all caring, compassionate and we want to speak to our patients and to help them in whatever way we can because our years of experience gets us to that point.

When I made the decision to move out of acute healthcare it wasn’t done lightly, however when you work for a company that has such vision and passion, that decision was made easy.

REVIV focuses on work-life balance, and being a mum to two young boys, this is very important. I pride myself on being honest and ethical; and look for that in an employer, this is what I have found in REVIV.

I feel valued and part of the team and love leading the practitioners within the company. REVIV have a vision of investing in life science to help customers understand their needs and create a potentially healthier future. REVIV is now a huge part of my life, and I feel proud to be a part of it.