Career Profile - Emma Rugless, overseas

Why did you become a nurse?

I decided to become a nurse after travelling the world and settling on a remote island in Indonesia. When the tsunami hit in the Indian Ocean, I was inspired by the nurses and volunteers who led the relief effort. The following year I enrolled on a fast-track nursing degree.

How has your career developed since you started nursing?

One of the great things about being a nurse is its diversity. In the five and a half years since I qualified I've worked in A&E departments in England, in a clinic on a cruise ship, in a holistic healing centre in Bali and overseas for several NGOs. Since joining Medecins Sans Frontiéres (MSF) I've worked in six very different projects: from running mobile clinics after flooding in Pakistan, to caring for hepatitis E patients during a huge outbreak at a refugee camp in South Sudan.