For those of you who know Nikki Kieffer, her work needs no introduction. As winner of the Society for Endocrinology’s inaugural Endocrine Nurse Award, hers is an inspiring story, and in this issue we are proud to present Nikki’s own article about the work that earnt her the award.

Nikki describes her endocrinology nursing journey from the time she was first appointed as an endocrine specialist nurse. This is a role that many nurses fall into, and a post which was not actually the one she originally applied for. However, Nikki found her niche and has raised the standard of endocrine nursing nationally and internationally.

The Competency Framework for Adult Endocrine Nursing that Nikki initiated has become greatly viewed and downloaded, and is not only applicable to and utilised by endocrine nurses in the UK but also worldwide. The Framework has provided guidance for nurses new to endocrinology as well as those who are more experienced. Providing a pathway for career trajectory, it is held in high esteem by our endocrine nurse colleagues globally and was the first step in the formation of the Federation of International Nurses in Endocrinology (F.I.N.E).

Nikki should be immensely proud of her achievement, and she has been justifiably rewarded for her work with the Society’s award. Many endocrine specialist nurses do outstanding things in practice that we do not hear about. If you know of someone who deserves to be rewarded for their work, please nominate them for this year’s Endocrine Nurses Award. I hope to see many nominations, because many endocrine nurses are doing wonderful things, and their work should be recognised.

Lisa Shepherd, SfE Nurse Committee Chair