Major achievement - Vivien Maiden

Bournemouth University

>>http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/ihcs/childhealth.html

in the family..

Vivien Maiden - BSc (Hons) Nursing Studies, Educational Facilitator - Child Health, Poole Hospital NHS Trust

Following the traditional method of training and many years as a staff nurse within child health, I felt it was time for a challenge. I wanted to update and improve my academic knowledge in keeping with the more recently qualified nurses.

Initially my goal was to complete the Diploma of Professional Studies in Nursing, I found the course a challenge, but thoroughly enjoyed it. Somehow I was persuaded to continue my studies and complete the degree course. It was difficult juggling a full time job as a Deputy Sister on a busy children's ward, studying and trying to remain sane but it was worth it in the end.

Following research during my studies I developed an interest in pain management in paediatrics. This resulted in changes within the unit and being invited to do presentations at the university to pre-and post-registration child branch nurses. I enjoyed teaching and being involved in the academic side of nursing. I am now employed as an Educational Facilitator, working with the child health team at the university and also within the child health unit at Poole.

...........

Major achievement

From the Echo, first published Friday 12th Dec 2003.

Source: http://archive.bournemouthecho.co.uk/2003/12/12/73276.html

AFTER 18 years in the Territorial Army, Vivien Maiden had never seen active service overseas - until she was called up for a tour of duty in the Gulf earlier this year.

Vivien swapped her usual role as educational facilitator on Poole Hospital's children's unit for general nursing in a desert war zone.

Apart from the discomforts of living and working in tents with basic sanitary arrangements, huge spiders and scorpions, she faced the threat of a nuclear, chemical or biological attack from Saddam Hussein's forces.

Vivien, 41, a Major in the Queen Alexandra Royal Army Nursing Corps, was mobilised at the beginning of February as tension was building in the Middle East.

She was initially attached to Camp Coyote in Kuwait, where she helped set up a 150-200 bedded field hospital in the middle of the desert.

"We did it with the help of the engineers and Gurkhas," she said. "We were up and fully running within two weeks. It was all tentage and by the end of it, we had electricity and fully running water."

Vivien was still in Kuwait when war broke out on March 20. "At the beginning we had nuclear, chemical and biological suits. We were covered from head to foot. We had to have our respirators on within nine seconds, then try and put the rest of the kit on as soon as possible," she said.

"We used to end up sleeping in it. The first day when war started, we had to put everything on. The temperature was in the high 20s (Celsius). Having our clothes and kit on and being inside a tent it was very hot. We just lay there and couldn't really move.

"Occasionally we would hear missiles going over and hear bangs. It was scary, but we all said that was what we had trained for."

Vivien was working on a medical ward dealing with complaints such as asthma, chest infections, pneumonia and eye injuries.

She admits to fantasising about food: "Anything that didn't look like white or brown stew. The cooks did their best, but basically we were eating rations only. There's only so much you can do with tinned chicken, tinned mince and corned beef.

"At lunchtime, our staple diet was noodles, cream of mushroom, cream of chicken or golden vegetable soup. We had lots of things like Mars bars, Lion bars and bags of boiled sweets. I'm not much of a drinker, but I could visualise very clearly a nice cold glass of Chardonnay. It was just because there was no alcohol."

At the beginning of April, Vivien was sent to another field hospital 10km south of Basra in Iraq. "Things had quietened down by then. We were protected by all the other units around us.

"Facilities were pretty basic and I think when I left temperatures were hitting 56 degrees Celsius at midday. The hospital was all in tents and it got quite hot inside. Even though there was air conditioning, it kept breaking down."

In Iraq, she was nursing civilians and prisoners of war as well as British troops. "There were Iraqi children admitted, most of them with quite severe injuries either from burns or picking up incendiary devices. They usually went to the intensive therapy unit or got transferred.

"By the time we were there, people were using kerosene for cooking and had a lot of accidents in their homes. Most of the civilians I met seemed pleased with what we were doing."

Downsides of the whole experience included not being able to contact her parents in Poole when the war began, trying to give intravenous drugs in the middle of sandstorms, coping with one tap for every 25 patients, and coming down with a stomach bug just 36 hours after arriving in Iraq.

"We did feel a lot safer there than in Kuwait, probably because we knew more what was happening," said Vivien. "It's a bit scary now. If I was called back, I would have to go, but I wouldn't volunteer."

She was demobbed in mid-May and returned to working at Poole, where she combines her duties on the wards with teaching at the university and studying for her masters degree.

Vivien has been given a certificate signed by Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon and Chief of Defence Staff Michael Walker thanking her for her contribution. Poole Hospital NHS Trust has been given a SaBRE (Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers) certificate by the Ministry of Defence for supporting the volunteer reserve force.