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ProNurse Interviews: Dawn Bowes, Nurse and Director of NursesStore.co.uk

Many nurses have an entrepreneurial streak. It probably comes from the need to think on your feet to do the best you can for your patient.

Here we talk to Dawn Bowes who saw a gap in the market for providing goods for nurses and who combines nursing with e-commerce. The end result was NursesStore.co.uk.

Don’t believe us?

She had just finished a run of nights when did our interview!

PN: Why did you become a nurse?

Dawn: It sounds a cliché but I had always wanted to become a nurse and when I turned 18 I couldn’t wait to get started, I have to say that it also had a lot to do with moving away from home to stay in the Nurses home in a new city. Starting my nurse training offered me the adventure and independence I craved at that age.

PN: How long have you been a nurse for?

Dawn: I started my training at Leeds general Infirmary in 1985 when I was 18 and I qualified 3 years later in 1988 which means I’ve been a qualified nurse for just over 20 years – time flies.

PN: What type of nurse are you and what is your specialism?

Dawn: I now work on a specialist stroke ward which I really enjoy, though I have in the past been a senior sister on an oncology ward but that was before I had children. I worked on many different wards types as a bank nurse during that time to fit around the needs of the kids.

PN: Why did you move into this specialism?

Dawn: I really enjoy medical nursing and the stroke ward I work on has great group of nurses as well as a great manager, so not only do I enjoy my job but I’m lucky enough to work in great team atmosphere.

PN: What made you see a gap in the market for NursesStore?

Dawn: I was trying to buy a leaving gift from the ward to a colleague who had expressly asked for a fob watch, a new tourniquet and some decent scissors. Finding these items in one place and displayed/described so I could see what I was buying proved very difficult and hence the initial idea took hold.

I wanted a store that provided the core tools that I needed as a nurse to do my job, with detailed photography and proper explanations of the goods. I also wanted a store that was ethically based, I know where all my goods are sourced and I know that no one has been exploited in their manufacture because I will only deal with reputable companies.

PN: Did you use your nursing friends to do market research?

Dawn: Yes, they must be sick of me! I would turn up early for every shift with new ideas and samples and ask for their feedback on everything from tough cut scissors to data reference cards and everything in between. Friends who are nurses were also drawn into my research and I still keep looking for new ideas from everyone to keep the store up to date and exciting.

PN: Do you intend to keep working as a nurse rather than concentrate on the business?

Dawn: Yes I am still a nurse and I don’t think I could ever give the job up as I enjoy being on the front line too much. I think I would miss the hustle and bustle and the camaraderie. I set up Nurses Store with my partner and he does a lot of the day to day work, though I have the last say on the products we chose to stock and a big say in the design and presentation of the site.

PN: Do you think being a nurse gives you a better insight into your target market?

Dawn: Oh yes, as I said I have been in nursing for over 20 years and many of my friends are the same, so not only can I draw on my own experiences but also the experiences of my colleagues and friends, we are after all the target market ourselves.

PN: What is your best selling product?

Dawn: The best selling products at the moment are our silicone fob watches which unlike traditional metal fobs can be taken apart for thorough cleaning and so are a help in the fight against HAI’s. They come in eight great colours and you can also buy extra coloured skins, so you can have a choice of colour dependent on how you feel!

PN: What’s your favourite product and why?

Dawn: I really like the Nite Writer pens that we have just sourced from America where they are really big in the healthcare and emergency services. They let you do your obs on a night shift discreetly without disturbing the patients, you really can write in the dark with these pens and I am never without mine these days.

PN: What products would you like to be able to sell?

Dawn: We are moving more and more into reference books for nurses. Not text books rather pocket sized guides for general nursing and more specific specialities. These are proving really successful and we hope to continue to expand the range to cover all specialities, though it will take time and investment.

PN: What would be a dream product for nurses?

Dawn: For me the dream product is the Smart Finder electronic key tags we stock and which we now use on my ward at work. No more wasted hours searching for the ward keys or even the drug keys that someone has left by a bed, under some notes or even in the sluice. These days we just press a button and hey presto, keys found. It’s absolute heaven!

PN: Do you get any funny requests for nursing related products?

Dawn: We have had some nursing homes contact us about continence pads etc when they found us under a web search for nursing supplies but it’s not something we intend stocking right now!

PN: What three words sum up a nurse and the role of nursing?

Dawn: Three little words to sum up being a nurse, well from my experience they would have to be “never standing still”, but I could never do a desk job so I guess this suits me fine.

Dawn has kindly agreed to give a 10% discount to ProNurse members or visitors who buy from NurseStore.co.uk before 1st March 2010.
Just enter the voucher code PRONURSE at the first stage of the payment procedure – please note the code must be all in upper case for it to work!

<a href = “http://nursesstore.co.uk/” target = “_blank” >NursesStore.co.uk – For the healthcare professional

More nursing entrepreneur articles…

Dave Dawes, Nurse and Social Entrepreneur

Why Healthcare Fixes Fail to ‘Stick’

Why Nurses Need Nursing Research

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