Day In The Life Of - Aimee Pendlebury-Worrad

Aimee Pendlebury-Worrad is a Research Sister at the Cancer Clinical Trials Centre, Sheffield. As part of our ‘Day in the Life’ series featuring medical professionals across our region, Aimee explains the key tasks she performs in her role.

What does a typical day look like to you? 

As with all types of nursing, I don’t think there is a typical day! Often in the morning, I will be in screening clinics. This consists of looking through potential patients on clinic lists and comparing them to eligibility criteria for trials. If eligible, I contact their consultant and let them know. Then, if appropriate, they will discuss the idea of the trial before I contact the patient.

I will see patients on clinical trials when they come to the clinic for an appointment with their doctor. At this appointment, I talk to them and make sure they are happy to continue on the trial and address any outstanding queries. I also carry out clinical procedures such as blood tests, ECGs, blood pressure and questionnaires.

I am the patient’s first point of contact when they are on a clinical trial, which sometimes last for several years. I receive calls from patients with all sorts of queries. I signpost to various other professionals and use my expertise to offer support. 

We are an extra line of support for patients and an extra person to talk to if they need it. I love seeing my patients, and I get to know them very well. 

A lot of my job is paperwork and ensuring everything is documented meticulously. I work with our data managers to make sure that data is entered accurately so that when it is analysed, we get the correct result. That’s not exactly what you’d think would be part of a nurse role, but I enjoy it.

What led you to work in this role? 

When I first qualified as a nurse (quite a while ago now!), I worked on the wards at Weston Park Cancer Centre. I have always wanted to work in oncology, first doing a degree so I could research cancer cures. However, I realised I was much better with people than with lab equipment, so, I trained as a nurse.

After working at Weston Park as a staff nurse, I worked for several years as a staff nurse in a specialist intensive care unit and cared for many brain cancer patients. I realised that this was where I wanted to work and then moved into cancer clinical trials.

I love working with protocols and learning everything I can about a subject. Also working on treatment-changing trials is really fulfilling. But I also love patient contact and learning everything I can about a person! So, research nursing seemed like the perfect fit.

In what way do you work alongside other staff or teams within SYB?

Our trials are often open to all patients within South Yorkshire and beyond. We work with consultants, specialist nurses, surgeons, and GPs to ensure that our patients have the best treatment journey they possibly can. We must work as a big multidisciplinary team to make sure our patients have the best experience they can.

What excites you most about your role? 

I get excited by being a part of new treatments being developed. Some of these treatments have the potential to really improve cancer care for patients. I also love working with the general public, whether that is with patients, or in publicising our work. 

Are there any personal or team achievements or highlights you’re most proud of? 

We have done so many great things at the Cancer Clinical Trials Centre. I think it must be looking after our patients through the unprecedented challenges of Covid-19 and keeping non-Covid-19 research going at a time when a number of us were redeployed to assist with Covid-19 trials or help in critical care. 

I am proud to be completing a research internship currently, undertaking my own research project as part of The Nurse, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional (NMAHP) Research Internship Programme at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. I hope to be part of improving our processes and therefore improve experiences for patients.

In what way do patients or the public influence the work you do?

Patients are the focus of everything we do. Every patient is different and so whilst participating in a trial might be the best option for one patient, it may not be for another patient, so it is our job to ensure the patient has all of the relevant information to hand. We also try to dispel myths about research; clinical research is there to improve treatment for patients and enables doctors and nurses to find out more about how diseases work.

Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve in the future within your role?

Clinical trials are always changing and my role changes with them. I will complete my own research project this year, and I think nurse-led research will become more common in the future.