Advanced Practice Abroad: Alumna Kim Treverton Shares Pathway to Nursing Leadership at NHS England

When Kimberly Treverton (née Bacon) ’00N, RN, MPA, MSc, was offered the role of Primary Care Advanced Practice Training Program Director for National Health Service England’s (NHSE) East of England region, she drew from the many experiences she had at the University of Rochester School of Nursing.

Examples of leadership and support from her time in Rochester had prepared her for the job and shaped her standards for what high-quality support and supervision should look like.

Having worked as a nurse since graduation, Treverton has seen her career progress into advanced practice, and she now uses her knowledge and experience to support trainee and qualified advanced practitioners.

“I have brought the knowledge, skills, and professionalism the School of Nursing instilled in me to every single job I have had,” Treverton recalled. “My preceptors and managers gave me the independence that pushed me to succeed as a qualified, registered nurse, but they also made me feel like I was never on my own.”

In her current role, she works closely with the Regional Faculty for Advancing Practice to support implementation of the NHSE’s agenda for advancing practice, ensuring the inclusion of multi-professional advanced practitioners across primary care.

She is passionate about ensuring that trainees and newly qualified advanced practitioners have appropriate support and supervision, especially as primary care and general practice can be isolating workplace settings. In response to this, Treverton developed a guiding document for aspiring and trainee advanced practitioners and contributed to national workplace supervision guidance. Over the past year, she has been developing resources for a regional supervisor training program to increase supervision capacity for future trainees.

Treverton, who holds a master’s in advanced clinical practice, completed her dissertation on role transition and professional identity for advanced practitioners.

“I remember saying to myself when I first qualified as a registered nurse, ‘Don’t ever forget what it feels like to be a student,’” she said. “This has held me in good stead when I have been supporting trainees, junior staff, or anyone new to the job and it has certainly helped with my current role.”

Treverton remembers faculty and staff fondly during her undergraduate years, especially Mary Sue Jack, PhD, RN; Rita D’Aoust ’84N (MS) ’08W (PhD), David Goede ’94N (MS) ’13N (DNP), a former assistant professor of clinical nursing; Pamela Brady, '15N (DNP), MS, RN,; Professor Sue Groth, PhD, WHNP-BC, FAANP; Professor of Clinical Nursing Susan Blaakman, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN, and longtime Student Affairs staff member Nancy Kita.

“They pushed me to seek out new experiences. They knew what I was capable of and were there to foster that. I feel quite passionate about having support and ensuring people have a safe space, whether it is a clinical issue or a personal concern. It is important to have that trust,” Treverton said.

Before getting married and moving to England in 2005, she started her career in Rochester as a staff nurse on the Acute Care for Elders Unit at Highland Hospital, the same unit where she completed her preceptorship.

“The support I received from Ken Trezise as my preceptor, along with incredible leadership from my manager, Kent Haythorn ’98N, was the perfect example of how to inspire students, encourage them to think critically, and prepare for work in a qualified role.”

UR Nursing also laid the foundation for Treverton to expand her role and become an advanced nurse practitioner (ANP). Over the past 20 years she has spent in the U.K., she has experienced and helped support the progression of advanced practice roles.

Not long after founding Dean Loretta Ford, EdD, RN, PNP, FAAN, FAANP, pioneered the nurse practitioner role and advocated for its national recognition in the U.S., advanced practice nursing roles were trialed in the U.K. starting in the 1980s. Most recently, the Centre for Advancing Practice was created in 2021 to aid in the oversight of the transformation of advanced practice in England. After gaining an independent prescribing qualification in 2007, Treverton took on more autonomous, advanced-level roles and began to see herself as part of this growing profession.

“My career has evolved alongside the development of advanced practice in England,” said Treverton, who has practiced as an ANP in primary care, urgent care, and school settings. As well as her current role with NHSE, she also set up her own limited company, Avonsya Health, and continues to work clinically in urgent care.
As advanced practice continues to grow, Treverton looks forward to her continued work in shaping trainee and practitioner experiences and supporting colleagues working in advanced practice.

“We have an important role in not only encouraging healthcare professionals to think about their career trajectory, but also supporting them wherever they may be on their advanced practice journey,” Treverton said.

“Advanced practice in England has expanded by leaps and bounds since I first moved here,” she added. “As I consider myself part of the cohort of practitioners who developed alongside advanced practice in this country, I can see the progress and growth the profession has had. I am proud to be involved with that.”

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