The author had worked as a nurse in neurology, as a midwife, as a cardiology research nurse, and as a practice nurse gaining additional qualifications in contraception and sexual health; health needs assessment, and asthma management. After completing the diploma in Tropical Nursing, the author sought advice from its director about other qualifications that may be useful to her interests in global health and went on to complete an MSc in Medical Anthropology. The author was offered a post at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Kings College London and completed a teaching qualification. The author’s background and skills are very broad but she had no specific expertise in palliative care. One of her first impressions was of the number of people in wheelchairs with skinny limbs, which she later learned was a result of polio. Most palliative care patients who receive care are suffered from cancer.