Alexandra Bishop: 20 years a nurse.

Alexandra (Ali) Bishop has been with DDRC Healthcare since 2005 after leaving the Royal Navy.

Ali completed her first degree at the University of Hertfordshire, obtaining a BSc(Hons) in Nursing and RN(Adult). In 2000 she joined the Royal Navy and was a Leading Naval Nurse (Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service QARNNS) based at Derriford Hospital, until she was posted to the Gulf war in 2003 on Royal Fleet Auxilliary Argus. Her role was in intensive care at the Casualty Receiving Facility.

Ali had been aware of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treatment for diabetic and hard to heal wounds during her time at Derriford hospital having seen patients referred to DDRC for hyperbaric treatment. When a position came up on the bank nursing staff in 2005 Ali decided that this would be an interesting career to get in to as she left the Royal Navy. Her new role would include caring for patients with wound healing problems as well as patients undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy HBOT for conditions such as diabetic lower limb ulcers, radiation tissue damage and decompression illness.

In 2009 Ali took on the role of Senior Clinical Nurse. As well as coordinating clinical trials at DDRC, she completed her own project on diabetic foot ulcers treated with hyperbaric oxygen. This then formed her MSc dissertation in Wound Healing and Tissue Repair at Cardiff University for which she was awarded a distinction. Ali is now an Honorary Tutor at Cardiff University for the MSc in Wound Healing & Tissue Repair. Posters have been presented by Ali at many international hyperbaric conferences and she has written and contributed to many research papers.

Ali was instrumental in the setting up DDRC Wound Care in 2011 to offer specialist care to the public for a variety of wounds, but with emphasis on treating difficult to heal, post-operative and chronic wounds, including leg ulcers. A highly skilled team of tissue viability nurse specialists are led by Ali.
Recently Devon CEPN have engaged Ali to deliver training in association with wound care and assessment of dressings to Health Care Assistant’s and Practice Nurses in Devon.

Ali says: ‘It has been a privilege to work as a nurse caring for people, often in the most vulnerable of times. It is such a rewarding job. Here’s to the next 20 years!’