NHS Western Isles and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) are delighted to announce that Isabell MacInnes Health Protection and Screening Nurse Specialist with NHS Western Isles has been published in the Nursing Times this month with her article which contributes to continual professional development for nurses, entitled ‘How patients experience the impact of Lyme disease’.

Isabell studied on the UHI Infection Prevention & Control postgraduate degree between 2015-2019. Her dissertation was on the impact of lyme disease and patients’ quality of life and her dissertation supervisor was Dr Rachel Erskine at UHI Outer Hebrides.

As Isabell says: “I started studying the fantastic MSc Infection Prevention and Control with UHI in September 2015, the course was online which was the only way I could study due to family commitments and a full time job with NHS Western Isles. The course was essential learning for me in my new role of Health Protection and Screening Nurse Specialist. I cannot deny it was a huge undertaking; time management was essential to fulfil all the course requirements and juggle all other aspects of my life. I am so grateful that the UHI course was available and it gave me the knowledge and skills required to carry out my role. My fellow students were from across the UK and they all choose the course because of the recognition it had and the reputation of UHI. I loved the fact that each student is so well supported with a personal academic tutor (PAT) who is accessible throughout your course and this support was vital. My PAT was Catherine Campbell who is with UHI Inverness and my dissertation supervisor was Dr Rachel Erskine who was based at UHI Outer Hebrides. Both of them steered me through the Pg Certificate and Pg Diploma levels and they were both amazing support during my Masters journey.”

Isabell also had the opportunity to apply for a Churchill Fellowship during her studies with UHI and as she says: “I completed the timeline of my studies by being awarded a Churchill Fellowship, and this Fellowship allowed me to travel to USA, Canada and France to meet with experts in the field of ticks and lyme disease. This additional knowledge helped me when it came to writing my dissertation. I managed to graduate with my MSc and complete my fellowship travels in 2019, however the Covid-19 pandemic delayed my plans of publishing my MSc dissertation research but it has been done now and I am delighted to be able to pass on my knowledge.”

Isabell’s paper can be viewed in Nursing Times published as MacInnes I (2023) How patients experience the impact of Lyme disease. Nursing Times [online]; 119, 3.

NHS Western Isles Health Protection and Screening Nurse  publishes in Nursing Times

NHS Western Isles and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) are delighted to announce that Isabell MacInnes Health Protection and Screening Nurse Specialist with NHS Western Isles has been published in the Nursing Times this month with her article which contributes to continual professional development for nurses, entitled ‘How patients experience the impact of Lyme disease’.

Isabell studied on the UHI Infection Prevention & Control postgraduate degree between 2015-2019. Her dissertation was on the impact of lyme disease and patients’ quality of life and her dissertation supervisor was Dr Rachel Erskine at UHI Outer Hebrides.

As Isabell says: “I started studying the fantastic MSc Infection Prevention and Control with UHI in September 2015, the course was online which was the only way I could study due to family commitments and a full time job with NHS Western Isles. The course was essential learning for me in my new role of Health Protection and Screening Nurse Specialist. I cannot deny it was a huge undertaking; time management was essential to fulfil all the course requirements and juggle all other aspects of my life. I am so grateful that the UHI course was available and it gave me the knowledge and skills required to carry out my role. My fellow students were from across the UK and they all choose the course because of the recognition it had and the reputation of UHI. I loved the fact that each student is so well supported with a personal academic tutor (PAT) who is accessible throughout your course and this support was vital. My PAT was Catherine Campbell who is with UHI Inverness and my dissertation supervisor was Dr Rachel Erskine who was based at UHI Outer Hebrides. Both of them steered me through the Pg Certificate and Pg Diploma levels and they were both amazing support during my Masters journey.”

Isabell also had the opportunity to apply for a Churchill Fellowship during her studies with UHI and as she says: “I completed the timeline of my studies by being awarded a Churchill Fellowship, and this Fellowship allowed me to travel to USA, Canada and France to meet with experts in the field of ticks and lyme disease. This additional knowledge helped me when it came to writing my dissertation. I managed to graduate with my MSc and complete my fellowship travels in 2019, however the Covid-19 pandemic delayed my plans of publishing my MSc dissertation research but it has been done now and I am delighted to be able to pass on my knowledge.”

Isabell’s paper can be viewed in Nursing Times published as MacInnes I (2023) How patients experience the impact of Lyme disease. Nursing Times [online]; 119, 3.