'I began as a ward cleaner - now have this key leadership role at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals'

For one senior leader at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, a career in nursing didn’t begin in a lecture theatre, it began on the wards as a cleaner.

Donna Calder, Head of Student, Trainee & Placement Support, said: “I always wanted to go into nursing. I was fascinated by the human body. But I’m a Preston girl, grew up on a local council estate and I was the first in my family to even think about university. At 17, I didn’t feel supported and didn’t really know how to apply, so it just didn’t feel like the right time. I still wanted to work in healthcare though."

Instead, Donna took a different route - one that would ultimately shape a 26-year career in the NHS.

“I joined the Trust in 2000 as a cleaner. That’s where I started - cleaning wards. Then I moved through different support roles, healthcare, the pathology lab, medical records. I absolutely loved it.”

By her mid-twenties, the ambition to become a nurse was still there: “I knew then it was time to think about university, but I had a young family and was worried about finances and funding. Fortunately, there was a bursary at the time, so I trained through a three-year diploma route and qualified as a nurse.”

Donna secured a staff nurse role in gynaecology - exactly where she had hoped to be, in women's health, adding: “But the biggest thing to understand about nursing is this: it’s like learning to drive. You only really start learning once you start the job, but what has been fantastic about the Trust and the NHS is I've been supported with funding to develop and top up my diploma with a degree."

That mindset would shape a career defined by progression, curiosity and continuous learning.

After qualifying, opportunities quickly followed. She said: “I moved into a specialist nurse role in GU medicine. It’s quite a niche area, but it shows what’s possible, there are so many different directions you can take in nursing.”

After five years in specialist practice, a new passion emerged: “I loved patient care, but I’d always had a desire to teach. Nursing extends beyond the bedside.”

That led to a move into education, first supporting students in clinical settings, then moving into a university role teaching future nurses and apprentices. While she was there, she completed her Master’s and started a professional doctorate.

After seven years in higher education, the pull back to frontline services, and the opportunity to shape the workforce more directly, brought Donna back to the Trust. Now Head of Student Training and Placement Support, her role spans leadership, education and workforce development.

“I’m responsible for making sure student nurses are in the right placements and that they’re properly supported. I work with the university on curriculum design, and I also support nurses to teach medical students”, she said.

“Nurses don’t just teach nurses - we can teach anyone because of the variety of the vocation and the skills you pick up.

“Education has a massive impact on where we’re going as an organisation. Our reputation as a place for learners really matters.”

Donna's journey hasn’t been without barriers, but those challenges became motivation. She said: “I would have loved to have been a doctor, but I was always told I wasn’t clever enough - that children from council estates don’t become doctors, nurses or teachers. But I had that fire in me to prove people wrong, and I did.”

Nursing, Donna is clear, is not an easy career. She added: “It’s hard. It can be chaotic. You are thrown in at the deep end, even with support. But that’s where the real learning starts, when you get your hands dirty.”

What keeps Donna in the profession? She said: “For me, it’s knowing I can make a difference. And also knowing the organisation will invest in me - there are always opportunities to develop.

“If one conversation with a student can change their whole week, that’s enough. That’s why I stay.”

A key focus of her role is ensuring student nurses feel supported from day one: She said: "The most important thing is being approachable. Support has to be tailored - some students need more guidance, others want independence. But often, it’s just a 10-minute conversation at the start, understanding what they need, and that makes all the difference.”

For those considering nursing, the message is honest, but optimistic. “It’s not easy. It’s tough emotionally and physically, and I think life experience really helps. But it’s also the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. It’s the start of an incredible journey.”

And it’s a career that doesn’t just shape professionals - it shapes people: “Nursing changes how you see the world. It changes how you care for others, and how you look after yourself. You grow as a person as much as you do as a nurse.”

Today, Donna is proud of where her journey began, and where it has led. She said: “I still have my registration. I’m still a nurse at heart. Without that, I wouldn’t be here. And that’s the thing about nursing - it can take you anywhere.”