Spotlight On An Expert: August 2024

This month we hear from Alexandra Clark, who has a huge wealth of experience in nursing. Alexandra has been an expert witness with Somek & Associates for 8 years.

My career as a nurse was decided when I joined the Red Cross as a cadet at thirteen years of age. I loved the practicalities of helping people when they needed first aid or medical assistance. I particularly recall loving bandaging – we used to practise this at every cadet evening and I remember applying crepe bandages to a level worthy of the Ancient Egyptians. I was chosen as the top cadet one year and had the honour of marching in the Lord Mayor’s parade in the City of London, carrying the Red Cross Standard.

At eighteen years of age, I entered the school of nursing at the Royal Free Hospital, in London. There were few university degrees available for nursing back then, and I thought training and experience in a London teaching hospital would serve me better. Wards were completely staffed by student nurses, with one sister or staff nurse in charge of a twenty-eight bedded mixed sex ward. The Royal Free was located in Hampstead and we had many famous actors as patients, which invariably made some days very exciting, especially if a ‘household’ name was one of your allocated patients

I frequently reflect on my training compared to the tuition nurses receive today, especially since I have recently become a supervisor and assessor for student nurses. We had no mentorship and were thrown literally into the deep end of medicine and surgery. Clinical skills were quickly learnt, and for the most part it was expected that you would work competently, if you had been assessed as such and without further supervision. Being in charge on a ‘late shift’ as a third-year student nurse was commonplace. On balance, the training was hard and challenging, but I feel my experiences gave me all the skills I use today in primary care.

Following qualification as a state registered nurse, as was then, staff nurse jobs in medicine and radiology followed. I decided to embark upon a six-month period of study in Infectious Diseases at Coppetts’ Wood Hospital in North London. We had one of the first high risk isolation tents in the United Kingdom for Lassa Fever and Marburg virus (due to our close proximity to the London airports), and I still recall the stringent decontamination processes we had to follow when caring for very sick patients. Definitely beyond the routine infection controls I undertake in primary care today, but a
good grounding nonetheless.

Marriage and childbirth (twins) followed, and nursing took a back seat whilst child-rearing, although shifts through agency nursing kept me up to date with clinical skills in a multitude of clinical settings from nursing homes to accident and emergency departments.

In 1990, I decided to apply to become a Magistrate. This means I am a volunteer who hears cases within the Magistrate Courts in my community. The Magistrates Courts hear criminal cases, both adult and youth, and deal with family law. Magistrates sit usually as a Bench of three, with one of them being an appointed Chairperson. All criminal cases start in the Magistrates Court. Lesser offences are dealt with by the Magistrates and we can impose punishments such as fines, community orders and short periods of imprisonment. More serious cases such as human trafficking, modern slavery, rape and murder, are formally sent to the Crown Court, whilst the Magistrates deal with issues of bail prior. I am the longest serving member of my Bench in East Sussex, am an appointed chairperson and have recently taken on a management role in running the Bench.
People often ask me if I enjoy being a Magistrate; it is my contribution to society, and whilst at times can be very demoralising, especially with repeat offenders, there are some Court users who listen to what you tell them, and respond well to rehabilitation. I also get to meet some interesting people such as prison officers, police inspectors and High Court Judges. Invariably, other Magistrates themselves come from very many diverse walks of life and I’ve had some interesting discussions in the Court Retiring Rooms.

With my family growing up and a divorce in 2000, it was time to commit back to full-time nursing. Experience in cardiology and general surgery followed.

In 2007, I went to work in an independent school two days a week as a school nurse, whilst tentatively dipping my toes in primary care as a practice nurse for the other three days. School nursing was interesting, but I spent a great deal of time giving out Strepsils and persuading children that, “no, they were not sick enough to have an ‘off games’ note”. A great deal of school nursing now is managing eating disorders, mental health and dealing with safeguarding. School nursing is not without its medical emergencies, as young people injure themselves on the games fields, and with the occasional severe anaphylactic reaction thrown in for good measure! I also enjoyed running drop in-clinics for staff members, checking blood pressures and giving health advice within my sphere of competency.

I absolutely adore practice nursing and only work now in this field. It is diverse and challenging. It enables me to work with young babies right through to the very elderly. My practice is rurally located, and I am very well supported by GPs who trust my clinical skills, enabling me to work in an extended role. I really regret not training as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, but the opportunity never arose at the right moment and, if I’m honest, I love my current workload. I have completed university diplomas in women’s health and cardiology as special interests, but undertake everything and anything that is signposted my way!

In 2016, I happened to be browsing through the ‘Independent Nurse’ magazine when an advert caught my eye, “Medico-legal experts in practice nursing wanted”. Somek’s office was located just around the corner from where I was born and brought up, and I thought my court experience as Magistrate would cross over nicely with the world of practice nursing. These two factors were enough to persuade me to reply. As every medico-legal expert knows, the process of becoming ‘an expert report writer’ can be a long and, in the beginning, arduous path. I really enjoy the demands of medico-legal work, it stretches me, and I learn something new in every case I take on. It has definitely improved my documentation skills in my own field of practice too.

Like all of us, it is really important to find that home/work balance too. I have a wonderful husband and three grown-up children. I would describe myself as an adventurous cook, and I enjoy dressmaking too. I’m a keen park-runner and would love to get fit enough to do a half marathon. My running partner is my fur-baby, Monty, the most gorgeous chocolate cocker spaniel, he is a wonderful motivator! You do not need a personal trainer if you have a dog that loves exercise. My husband and I play golf regularly and I enjoy Lindy-hop dancing too.

Our lives are defined by the opportunities that come our way, and I am proud to be associated with Somek.

If you enjoyed hearing Alexandra's story and would like to learn more about the benefits of becoming an expert witness, visit our recruitment pages here.