Nurses.co.uk

06/05/2026

Wondering what it takes to be a successful Functional Assessor? 🤔💻

According to Cait, you don’t need to know everything from day one! While basic typing skills and coordination are handy since you are listening and typing simultaneously, there is plenty of support to help you improve. The true essential skills are active listening, empathetic understanding, and clinical curiosity. If you know how to ask the right follow-up questions to uncover the full story, this could be the perfect job for you! 🩺🗣️

05/05/2026

One of the hardest parts of occupational health? Learning that you can’t “fix” everyone ❤️‍🩹.

As nurses, the urge to fix people is innate. But in this role, you are simply laying the path and giving advice for them to follow.

Listening to difficult stories via Teams or phone is tough, especially because you rarely get closure. Just like on the wards, you don’t see their forward story unless they return. Holding onto their memory and wondering if they are okay can be the hardest part of the job. 🎧💙

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04/05/2026

Moving into private occupational health? It is time to negotiate! 💰

If you are a registered general nurse without prior background in the field, companies typically put you through an internal academy for training. You might start at a basic wage of around £36,000.

However, your pay will increase after you qualify, get a degree, or hit your yearly performance reviews! Remember to negotiate as best as you can because you are worth it. The worst they can say is no! 💼✨

01/05/2026

In this interview, we sit down with Cait Weston, who graduated as a mental health nurse in 2017 before making a career switch to become a Functional Assessor at PFAS.

Cait shares her journey from working in psychiatric intensive care units and community mental health to taking the plunge into a remote, corporate role. She breaks down the reality of her day-to-day job, which involves completing telephone, video, or face-to-face medical assessments for customers, gathering information, and writing reports for the DWP regarding Personal Independence Payments.

She also highlights the incredible lifestyle benefits of the role, including set Monday-to-Friday hours, having bank holidays off, and the massive advantages this flexibility provided her as a single mother. Additionally, Cait dives into the extensive career progression available at PFAS, sharing how she upskilled from an assessor to a Quality Assurance Lead.

4 likes. "From Mental Health Nurse to Functional Assessor: Career Growth & Flexibility"

30/04/2026

Even when working remotely from home, occupational health nurses maintain strong links with their team.

Unlike ward nursing, where you focus deeply on a specific health condition , this role lets you see the full diversity of a person’s life.

You assess their physical and mental health, plus home structures—like whether a patient recovering from spinal surgery has to climb stairs to use the bathroom!

You have to build quick rapport to learn if they drive for a living or need to lift young children. It is truly a privilege to see people from all walks of life and be a part of their story.

28/04/2026

Next up in our ongoing mission to shine a light on different careers in nursing - a chat with Kayren Milne, Clinical Operations Manager at PAM Occupational Health.

The intention here is:

- Shine a light on a nursing job you might not know about (in occupational health)

- Inspire nurses to take a chance on a change in career pathway

The video of my chat with Kayren is here:

https://www.nurses.co.uk/blog/career-development/occupational-health-nursing-careers-kayren-milne-flexible-working-pay-and-why-youll-absolutely

10/04/2026

Who says nursing has to be strictly serious? 🎤😂

Nicole brings her bubbly personality to school assemblies and vaccination sessions to put kids at ease. During one session, she even started singing along with a child during a music lesson to help calm their nerves! 🎶💉

09/04/2026

Need tips on calming anxious kids before a vaccine? 🧸

Nicole uses her background as a mental health nurse to help children overcome their fear of needles. From explaining why the vaccine keeps them safe to using squashy toys and stress balls, she proves there is no such word as “can’t”! 🦸‍♀️💪

08/04/2026

Looking for a nursing role that respects your work-life balance? ⚖️💉

Nicole shares why working for Vaccination UK is amazing. They offer incredible support, great work-life balance, and a petrol allowance.

Plus, they ensure you’re always up to date with regular training — and they always provide tea and biscuits! ☕🍪

02/04/2026

Bedside nursing vs. Corporate nursing: Which is more rewarding? 🤔

According to Khristine, they both are—just in different ways! In the hospital, you see physical progress every day. In travel insurance, the reward comes from successfully organizing a repatriation and hearing the relief of a patient finally making it back home.

Khristine enjoys both so much that she still does A&E bank shifts on the side! 💙