Nigerian lawyer turned UK nurse shares how she became an anaesthetic nurse in just six months
11 February 2026
A TikTok video posted by a Nigerian-born lawyer who retrained as a nurse in the UK has attracted widespread attention after she detailed how she moved into anaesthetic nursing within six months of registering with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
The nurse, who posts on the platform as @cmlizzyy and describes herself as a “newly registered nurse in the UK”, explains in the short clip that after qualifying as a registered adult nurse in 2025 she undertook an additional six-month period of specialised training in anaesthetics and perioperative care.
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In the video she describes the core responsibilities of the role:
- Preparing patients for anaesthesia and surgery
- Monitoring patients throughout anaesthetic procedures
- Assisting the anaesthetist during induction, maintenance and emergence from anaesthesia
- Ensuring patient safety at every stage of the perioperative pathway
She emphasises that the post demands “sharp thinking, calmness, precision and trust”, and states that the training included supervised clinical practice, competency assessments and hands-on experience in operating theatres before she was signed off to work independently.
Anaesthetic nursing in the UK is a recognised subspecialty within perioperative care. Most NHS trusts and some universities offer post-registration anaesthetic courses lasting between six and twelve months, depending on whether the programme is full-time or part-time and whether the nurse already has operating theatre experience.
These programmes are usually aligned with competencies set out by the British Anaesthetic and Recovery Nursing Association (BARNA) and lead to a certificate or statement of competence that allows the nurse to practise autonomously in the anaesthetic role.
The route described in the video is shorter than several other advanced clinical pathways open to nurses in the UK, such as the 24–27 month postgraduate diploma required to become an anaesthesia associate (AA), a role open to both nurses and science graduates.
The clip has resonated particularly strongly among internationally educated nurses and those considering a move into theatre or critical care specialities. The UK continues to rely heavily on overseas recruitment to fill nursing vacancies, with the NHS reporting more than 46,000 nurse vacancies as of late 2025.
While the video presents one individual’s experience and pathway, entry requirements, course length and funding arrangements vary between NHS trusts and higher education institutions. Nurses interested in anaesthetic practice are advised to check current local opportunities and speak to their trust’s practice education team or a BARNA regional representative.
The original video can be viewed on TikTok via the shortened link: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSmNjawUD/
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