Claire, 51 - Maidstone

Tell us a little about yourself and your current experience.

I've worked as a nurse for nearly 30 years and for the last 12 years I've been working as a district nurse across Kent.

Most of my working day is spent visiting patients in their own homes, so I'm very comfortable working independently and looking after people who may be elderly, housebound or living with long-term health conditions.

I still enjoy nursing, but I wanted to start thinking about something I could build for myself and eventually use to reduce my NHS hours.

Why did you choose the ear wax removal industry?

It felt like a natural fit with the type of patients I already see.

A lot of older people struggle to get out to appointments, and hearing problems can have a massive impact on their confidence and quality of life.

I liked the idea of being able to provide a service that could be taken directly to patients in their own homes.

It also appealed to me because it's a focused clinical service that I could realistically start on a small scale without needing a large investment or premises from day one.

Why did you choose wax. for your training?

I wanted proper practical training.

There are lots of courses online, but I didn't feel comfortable learning something like ear wax removal without actually examining ears and using the equipment under supervision.

wax. looked very hands-on, and I liked that the training covered more than just microsuction.

The fact that the course also talked about setting up a service and how people were actually using the qualification afterwards made it feel much more relevant to what I wanted to achieve.

How did you find the course?

I really enjoyed it.

The group was small enough that everyone had time to practise and ask questions, and the trainers made the atmosphere very relaxed.

I've been a nurse for a long time, but it was still nice to learn something completely new.

The practical work was definitely the best part because every ear is different, and you quickly realise why seeing real examples is so important.

What did you learn?

We covered otoscopy, ear anatomy, recognising normal and abnormal findings, contraindications, infection control and patient assessment.

The practical training covered microsuction, warm-water irrigation and manual instrumentation.

One of the most useful things for me was learning how to decide which technique is most appropriate for the patient rather than approaching every ear in exactly the same way.

We also spent time discussing situations where treatment should be stopped or the patient should be referred elsewhere.

That side of the course gave me a lot of confidence.

Would you recommend wax. training?

Absolutely.

I'd particularly recommend it to district nurses and community nurses because so many of the skills you already use are transferable.

You're already comfortable visiting people in their homes, assessing patients and working independently.

The course gives you the specialist ear-care skills to turn that experience into something you can offer yourself.

What are your plans for the future?

I'm going to start as a mobile ear wax removal service covering Maidstone and the surrounding Kent villages.

Initially I'll offer appointments on one weekday and some Saturday mornings while continuing with my current nursing role.

I'd particularly like to work with older people and patients who find it difficult to travel to a clinic.

Once the business is established, I'd like to reduce my NHS hours and eventually have two or three dedicated ear-care days each week.

For me, the goal isn't to build a huge company. I'd like a busy, professional local service that gives me more flexibility and allows me to keep doing the patient-facing work I enjoy.

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One day of CPD-accredited training with NHS-trained clinicians - all three removal methods, live patients, and the business setup to earn with it.