I’ve been contemplating whether to retain my nursing registration for a few years now and, finally, last week I took the plunge and cancelled it – on International Nurses Day.
Completely unintentionally, I should add.
Probably not the wisest timing, considering I’ll now be reminded every year that I’m no longer a registered mental health nurse.
It also happened to be Mental Health Awareness Week, where the theme this year was ‘action’. So I’ve either actioned a move I may eventually regret, or I’ve made a decision that allows me to focus more intentionally on the direction my leadership and coaching development is taking.
At the moment, I’m still not entirely sure which one it is.
What I do know is that I felt unexpectedly emotional afterwards.
The email from the Nursing and Midwifery Council probably didn’t help:
“Your career as a registered professional has made a big difference to the lives of others and we hope you feel proud of the important contribution you’ve made.”
I read it about ten times and it left me feeling a bit bereft if I’m honest.
In reality, I haven’t needed to be on the register since leaving the NHS in 2012. But I think there was always something about the security of keeping it there – a sense that I still *could* go back if I wanted to. More than that, though, I think nursing became part of how I saw myself.
Even writing ‘former mental health nurse’ feels strange. Although I feel like you remain a mental health nurse for life regardless of whether or not you’re officially registered.
There were points over the years where I thought I might use the registration again. During COVID, I briefly joined the nurse bank to support vaccination delivery. I’d also held onto an ambition for a long time of potentially working within Scotland’s first safer consumption facility when (not if) it opened.
But as the years passed, my career continued to move in a different direction.
And if I’m honest with myself, I think I’d started holding onto the registration more because of what it represented than because I genuinely believed I’d return to nursing practice.
Trusting my instinct
I qualified from Napier University in 2006 and, until starting my coaching qualification recently, I hadn’t undertaken any formal study since then.
My first role was within an acute mental health ward, and that was really where my interest in supporting people who use substances began. I became increasingly drawn towards the complexities surrounding substance use, mental health, stigma and trauma, and after a few years an opportunity came up within the community addictions team.
At the time, permanent NHS jobs were difficult to come by, and I remember having to choose between staying in a secure permanent post or moving into an 18-month fixed-term addictions role.
Some people thought I was making the wrong decision.
But something about the role felt right to me, even though it came with uncertainty. So I followed that instinct.
That decision shaped the rest of my career.
Choosing purpose over security
I spent three years within that team, progressing first into a senior nurse role and then team leader. During that time, I was given opportunities that challenged and stretched me, including leading our local naloxone programme – something that became a real turning point professionally.
When an opportunity later came up to work nationally on Scotland’s naloxone programme (again on a one-year fixed-term contract), I made a similar decision all over again. At the same time, a permanent NHS team leader role was on the horizon, but I chose the uncertainty again because I felt strongly drawn towards the work.
Looking back, I can see a pattern in a lot of my career decisions.
I’ve often chosen purpose over security.
That level of uncertainty isn’t for everyone, and I completely understand why. Stability matters, particularly in professions where people already carry a huge amount emotionally and financially. But I also know that fear of insecurity can stop people from pursuing opportunities that genuinely align with who they are and what they care about.
For me, some of the biggest opportunities in my life have come from taking those risks.
And I’ve never really looked back.
Beyond the NHS
Over the years, I’ve also had conversations with nurses who feel their experience or career options need to remain within the NHS. But I don’t believe that at all.
The third sector is full of incredibly skilled, compassionate and values-driven professionals, and nursing skills translate powerfully into those environments. In many ways, my nursing background shaped the leader I became.
It taught me how to communicate under pressure, build relationships quickly, support people through difficult moments and hold compassion alongside accountability.
I don’t think those things ever really leave you.
Which is maybe why letting go of the registration itself feels more emotional than I expected.
Because although I may no longer be a registered nurse, nursing will always be part of how I lead, support people and understand the world.
Recognising where I am now
My next revalidation wasn’t due until February 2027, so there was no immediate pressure to make a decision. But over the last year especially, I’ve felt my interests and energy shifting more towards leadership development, coaching and mentoring.
Completing the ILM Level 7 Coaching and Mentoring Diploma has reignited something in me academically and professionally. It’s challenged me to think differently about how I support others, how I listen, and how I create space for reflection and growth within leadership.
More than anything, it’s made me realise that this is where I want to continue developing.
So whilst cancelling my registration initially felt like closing a door, I’m starting to see it differently.
Maybe it’s less about leaving something behind and more about acknowledging where I am now.
My plan going forward is to focus my CPD activity more intentionally around leadership and coaching – strengthening the skills and approaches that support me in my role as a CEO and in how I support the people around me.
In many ways, that still feels strongly connected to why I became a nurse in the first place.
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