Career profile: Mathew Sidebottom, Huddersfield

Why did you become a nurse?

I realised I wanted to work in healthcare while studying at college. At the time, I was flitting between nursing, radiography, physiotherapy and pathology.

Nursing seemed like the more sensible option, as I was not ready to commit to a particular specialty. The best decision I made as an unruly teenager.

How has your career developed since you started nursing?

I have been lucky in my nursing career up till now. My first couple of jobs were spent in critical care, intensive care and high dependency units, which I felt gave me a broad clinical foundation. The great thing about critical care is that you see a diverse range of conditions both medical and surgical, and that your time management and clinical decision making is quickly honed. I think that intensive care units are one of the last places you can truly be a 'nurse', providing all nursing care for the patient on a one-to-one basis.