Northern Ireland healthcare pioneer honoured

Without Vicky Burns, Northern Ireland would not have specialised nurse-led hysteroscopy care.

By establishing the first service of its kind - in which a nurse examines a woman’s womb using a thin tube containing a small camera - Vicky has reduced waiting times for critical procedures, benefiting many women, including those with uterine cancer.   

Vicky’s journey, from her early days in gynaecology to receiving the Royal College of Nursing's Nurse of the Year award in 2023, highlights her commitment to women's health. Her efforts have not only significantly improved services and support transformation in her Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust but also paved the way for similar services to be rolled out across Northern Ireland.    

Vicky, a mum-of-two, from Antrim, Northern Ireland said: “I’m really looking forward to having more hysteroscopy nurses to create a regional network similar to England’s model.    

She said: “It can feel quite lonely to be the only hysteroscopy nurse in your country. There were challenges along the way, juggling not just work and home life as a busy mum, but developing an independent nurse-led service in a country that, at times, can feel like we are playing catch up to the world around us. But it is worth it.”   

Special return 

Last week, Vicky returned to the University of Bradford where she completed her Postgraduate certification in Diagnostic Hysteroscopy and Therapeutic Management, to become an honorary Doctor of Health. It was a special moment for her, especially after missing her own graduation ceremony in 2021 due to Covid-19 travel restrictions and clinical pressures.   

Vicky said: “To be warmly welcomed back is something rather special to me. I’m so honoured to have my work recognised in this way by the University of Bradford   

“Many hours went into not just my academic studies, but the establishment of our service in Northern Ireland and it means so much to me that the work I am passionate about also resonates with others here today.”   

Vicky fell in love with gynaecology health care during her final year placement as a student nurse in 2006 on a gynaecology ward in Antrim Area Hospital.  

She said: “The complexity of the female body and the changes it goes through from being in the womb, then developing into adolescence, pregnancy and childbirth and miscarriages, and after, in the later stage of your fertility years, is a transformational journey.    

“I think women’s bodies are amazing.”   

Promise

After a few years in her first post in Antrim working in early pregnancy care, Vicky was moved to a general ward – and realised she had already found her passion. When she was moved back to gynaecology, Vicky made a promise to herself.    

She said: “I was going to make myself the most qualified and trained gynaecology nurse, so that if a move ever happened again, I would be one of the last to be considered because of how specialised I would be.”   

As part of her promise, Vicky undertook training in ultrasound scanning while pregnant with her first child. Having her own children gave Vicky even more motivation to find ways to bridge the gaps she saw in women’s healthcare and serve her patients in the best way possible.    

She said: “I felt a connection and great affinity with my patients as a health care professional and as a patient going through a lot of examinations, tests and intimate procedures for a couple of years.    

“When delivering service, you’re not openly sharing your experiences at every step, you're providing that reassurance for them that you, yourself, are a woman. Show me a woman that hasn't had an intimate procedure at some point, whether they've had children or not. You know, I don't think anybody escapes that.”   

Work hard, play hard

In 2018, Vicky took on the post of Deputy Sister on a ward caring for general gynaecology patients and early pregnancy in Antrim Area Hospital  The following year, to enhance her qualifications, she enrolled on a non-medical prescribing course with the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, alongside the postgraduate course at the University of Bradford. It was while studying, in 2020, that the Covid-19 pandemic hit, when her children were just five and three years old.    

Vicky said: “I was raised with the understanding and example of my father, that if you want nice things in life you have to work hard. I work hard and I play hard.”   

With new qualifications and new friends, Vicky returned to her post at Antrim & Causeway Hospital in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust but her passion for gynaecology, driven by her personal experiences and professional dedication, meant Vicky would not stop there. She then trained in colposcopy, a test which examines the cervix following an abnormal cervical screening test. Vicky now offers enhanced and personalised care for women at her own nurse-led hysteroscopy and colposcopy clinics. 

She is currently completing a Master’s in Advanced Professional Practice at Queen’s University, Belfast, and working to roll out her services to other hospitals across the remaining trusts in Northern Ireland. 

She said: “I’m always looking for what is next and always have a plan.” 

At the ceremony at the University of Bradford earlier this month, Vicky’s advice to graduates was to grab opportunities and to recognise and remember that their fellow graduates would be part of a network they will value above anything else.   

In her speech, Vicky said: “The world of nursing is diversifying. It is hard. Challenges will be thrown at all of you as you leave university education and the support structure that you've had over the previous few years at times.    

“As Tom Hanks once said, ‘This too shall pass, life is fleeting.’ Certainly, in my day-to-day job delivering difficult and bad news to my patients, I'm all too aware of that. While I always say, ‘be your biggest advocate,’ none of us get here alone. I've travelled here today with my teammates and work colleagues who have also turned out to be the bestest friends you could ever want.”