She began her path in nursing in 1980 at The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel to start her registered nurse training which soon brought her to Aberdeen in 1991 to study community health nursing at RGU. She graduated in 1995 and worked with adults with Cystic Fibrosis and spent the following 26 years devoted to her specialism.

‘Memories from the Frontline’ is Kairen’s second book reflecting on her career in nursing. Her first book, ‘The World of Sixty-five Roses’, was published in 2019 and drew from her experience working in the Cystic Fibrosis field. Her latest book focuses on the Covid-19 pandemic and shares the experiences of over 20 members of NHS Grampian who worked through the period.

She shared: “I felt very moved by people's honesty and openness with me during the interviews for the book. It gave me an insight into the personal issues that people were facing on a daily basis whilst still going into work each day during the pandemic.

“A big takeaway from the book is just how selfless health workers were during this time and still are. So much was unknown with the virus during the first wave and before vaccinations and treatments were available.

“The book highlights the bravery of health workers to face this uncertainty every day, putting themselves at very high risk of catching the virus themselves.”

Response to her second publishing has been positive following a well-attended book launch in Banchory and coverage in regional press. With no immediate plans to write another book, Kairen has a desire to share more stories and experiences from her colleagues within the health profession that go further than the bookshelf.

“There’s definitely scope for some of the interviews featured in the book to be explored further through fascinating podcast episodes. I have already approached some of the interviewees about doing this and that will be an exciting project to work on.

“I’ve been asked to do an audio book of my first publication ‘The World of Sixty Five Roses’ and I would love to do that for both my books. I’m not slowing down yet!”

Both Kairen’s books are available to preview and purchase in digital and paperback on Amazon.