An actress who has starred as a nurse in some of Britain’s best known TV shows has landed her latest role with the NHS as one in real life.
Vicky Hall, 42, has regularly appeared on our screens as a nurse in the likes of Casualty, Holby City, Line of Duty, Coronation Street and Doctors.
But she has now swapped her profession for a real-life drama as an A&E nurse at Alexandra Hospital, in Redditch, Worcs.
Vicky says she believed the “universe was trying to tell her something” when she kept landing acting jobs as a nurse on both the big screen and in hit TV dramas.
And following the birth of her two children, she decided she no longer wanted to travel the country for long periods and started studying a degree course in nursing.
After qualifying she landed training placements at Alexandra Hospital, where she now works part-time but still manages to find time for her acting.
Most recently she starred as an A&E nurse in Ken Loach’s latest film “Sorry We Missed You”, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival in May.
Vicky, of Bromsgrove, Worcs., said: “I frequently played nurses, perhaps the universe was trying to tell me something.
“After my children were born I thought about what I would do next and decided it had to have all the excitement of acting, the need to really use my brain, and that I would be in demand.
“Emergency nursing just fit the bill. So I went back to school and did my GCSE science again, and when my children started school I started my degree.
“I would recommend working in an Emergency Department to anyone.
“You gain so much knowledge and confidence if you take the plunge and throw yourself in the deep end.
“The Alexandra is a really busy and interesting hospital, but small enough that you get to know people easily.
“I love our Emergency Department, I am challenged every day. We are always encouraged to train and keep learning continuously, always upskilling.”
Vicky, originally from Newcastle, began her acting career at the age of just 14, working a weekend job in a fish and chip shop to pay for acting lessons.
She eventually managed to get a part in CBBC series Byker Grove, alongside TV legends Ant and Dec.
After roles in theatre and occasional appearances as an extra, Vicky managed to get a lead role in Channel 4 comedy series, Teachers, alongside James Corden.
She later played parts in Ricky Gervais’ Derek, The Bill and Shameless, as well as roles as a nurse in Line of Duty, Doctors, Coronation Street and Bodies.
Vicky still finds time for voiceover work and advertisements while working part-time at the hospital.
Describing why she wanted to be an actor, she added: “It just sounded fascinating.
“It was the sort of thing that would cause me to meet strange and wonderful people – I was right.
“Sorry We Missed You is my proudest role yet. I was also hired to design their A&E set and to dress all of the extras as A&E patients, giving them all a wound or a reason for their visit.”
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