12 May 2025

This week marks International Nurses Day, which celebrates the dedication, professionalism and expertise of nurses worldwide. We had a chance to speak with CNWL’s Melanie Raddon, a Specialist Nurse based in the Hillingdon Community Cardiac Team about her nursing journey.

Born and raised in Barnet, North London, Melanie always had an innate feeling that she was going to be a nurse. “I think I always knew I wanted to be a nurse. I had problems with my hips as a child and I had been in hospital. Anytime there was an ambulance outside, I'd peep my head under a curtain or get to the front door to know what happened”, Melanie said.

Melanie also revealed that, growing up, there were no nurses in her family. “My Dad was a film editor and my Mum was a librarian. None of the people I went to school with went into nursing. My grandparents were a big part of growing up, so I went to them for advice."

After Melanie finished school, she encountered her first challenge. “I wasn’t academic and didn’t leave school with many O-Levels.” Melanie navigated this by taking up a role at a care home, which fuelled her passion even more. Melanie would go to nursing school in the evenings and worked hard to get her qualifications. Since getting her qualifications, Melanie has taken her studies all the way to master’s level. “Once I became interested in nursing, I became really academic.”

When Melanie was newly qualified, she faced her second challenge: a lack of jobs. “It was a great feeling to be newly qualified. However, there was not a lot of jobs at the time. I would have liked a general role on the ward but that wasn’t available either.”

Melanie’s first role was on the transplant unit at Harefield Hospital in Hillingdon.

“People were having heart and lung transplants, which was scary at the time. Lots of people waiting for transplants have a long-term illness and know a lot more about their conditions than I did”, Melanie said. Though it was it difficult at first, Melanie was determined to do her best. “It was really tough, but I embraced it. I did a lot of research in the evenings to be able to understand what I was seeing as a newly qualified nurse.”

During her time at Harefield Hospital, Melanie had the opportunity to go on two organ retrievals for transplants. The first was here in the UK, and the second was in Italy.

Melanie attributes a lot of her success to research and seeking out new opportunities. “The job doesn’t stop on the ward. Yes, you learn how to be a nurse but you learn more about the conditions as you go along and this never stops. I still have conversations with colleagues about different cases happening in the hospital”.

“The opportunity to go out on the organ retrieval was during my own time. There may be experiences you want – you just need to go out there and grab them.”

After working in the hospital setting for a while, Melanie decided to make a pivot in her career and go into the charity sector. Melanie worked at The British Heart Foundation, where she set up a helpline, designed leaflets and conducted radio and TV interviews. Melanie also worked at a pharmaceutical company who were working on a drug for heart failure.

Melanie began to miss the day-to-day patient contact and switched into community care. Joining CNWL in 2006, she helped set up the Community Cardiac Team in Hillingdon. Today, the service has nine nurses, a physiotherapist and one exercise physiologist.

“CNWL has always been supportive to me – whether it is through funding or study they've been there. I find what I do very rewarding,” Melanie said.

“Being a specialist nurse is great. I really like the autonomy. I did a prescribing course which speeds up the rate at which patients get their treatment. It can help GPs make decisions, and liaise closely with hospital consultants. Ultimate goal of is to keep patients out of hospital and in their homes.”

For the next generation of nurses, Melanie had some words of wisdom: “Grab opportunities when they come. Even if it’s done in your own time. Putting some money towards doing a course can go a long way.

“Make the most of the in-house training, visiting other departments and sharing knowledge. Lots of departments have different specialities but can always share knowledge so you understand how they do things. If you have a question ask someone who you feel has the answer – be empowered! Similarly, if you have knowledge, share it!”

When Melanie isn’t working, she loves to travel, enjoys gardening and likes rock painting. She’s also part of a scouting community who go on lots adventures and camping.