Karen McDermott

Karen joined PDERU in August 2022 as the Cancer Clinical Educator. She started her career as a ward based staff nurse then moved to McMillan Day Bed Unit, progressing to a senior nurse as part of her role.

Karen has many years’ of clinical expertise in Systemic Anti-Cancer Treatment (SACT) delivery and cancer care. She worked in nurse-led clinics for a number of years, this involved supporting patients to manage their toxicities as well as the psychological impact this can have on patients and their families. Karen supports staff by teaching clinical skills and develops competency based educational frameworks to support governance inline with staff specialist roles.

As Cancer Clinical Educator, Karen works in collaboration with the University of West of Scotland to deliver the accredited SACT course. A key part of her role is to ensure staff are supported in complying with all applicable standards within the scope of their practice. She is a member of many expert groups, for example, Scottish SACT nursing group and UKONS SACT education network, sharing expertise to ensure patient safety and drive forward change and innovation. Working together to ensure a Once for Scotland approach. Karen is one of the Beatson leads for NHS GGC’s Civility Saves Lives Campaign and is involved in hospital wide projects to drive forward this programme for change.

Karen is passionate in supporting staff with their learning and development to reach their potential and progress within their career.