Staff profiles
Rebecca Laidlaw
Autoimmune/Hepatology clinical nurse specialist
“I enjoy helping people but it’s more than that. Being a nurse is a part of who I am. I enjoy educating people about their conditions so they’re more informed and can make good health decisions. I also love learning from our patients – they teach me something new every day.”
Becky works in Medical Outpatients. On Mondays she sees people with multiple sclerosis who are on disease modifying treatments. As there isn’t a neurologist in New Plymouth she sees these patients to monitor their disease and treatment which requires regular blood tests and MRI scans.
The mother of two has been a nurse for seven years, working at Taranaki DHB since 2016. After a couple of years travelling after leaving school Becky returned to England to complete her nurse training at Hull. She then gained her New Zealand nursing registration and postgraduate diploma and plans to start her nurse practitioner masters next year.
“My mum was a nurse and a midwife. I never really wanted to do anything else.”
“I enjoy the mental challenge that comes with being a clinical nurse specialist. Watching a service adapt and grow is very rewarding.”
On Tuesdays and Thursdays Becky is learning the Hepatology speciality. Clinics on these days include patients with conditions ranging from autoimmune liver disease to hepatitis C. Becky completes fibroscans on patients to determine if they have liver fibrosis. A large part of her role is screening for HCC, a common form of liver cancer, which includes six-monthly blood screening and ultrasound.