For the past three months, recently promoted Captain Suzie Shaw, aged 34, has been the ward nursing officer in charge of providing medical support, often to those suffering severe trauma, to patients in the Medical Facility in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province.
Captain Shaw said: "It is my main responsibility to provide primary care to service personnel who are sick or who have minor injuries, however my role has encompassed so much more in the last three months.
"I am often called upon to support the doctor in the treatment of trauma patients with severe injuries.
"This can include local Afghan civilians as well as service personnel. It can be a tough job as we are often working at short notice and dealing with severe trauma. It requires excellent teamwork."
Capt Shaw is originally from Longridge, where many of her family still live. After leaving St Cecilia's RC High School in 1991 she completed further education at Craven College before earning her first degree in Community Studies at Bradford and Ilkley Community College in 1997.
She joined the army in 2002 after working at St John and Red Cross, Defence Medical Welfare Service, where she came into contact with sick and injured service personnel.
She completed basic training at the Army Training Regiment in Winchester and then her nursing training at the Defence School of Healthcare Studies in 2005.
Capt Shaw commissioned as an Officer in the Queen Alexandra Royal Army Nursing Corps in 2007.
Since joining up she has served in various barracks in Germany, including Munster and Fallingbostel, as a Primary Care Nurse.
This has been her first operational tour of duty.
Since arriving in Lashkar Gah, Capt Shaw has helped treat numerous Afghan patients, brought into the military camp with a variety of injuries and illnesses.
She said of this work: "We have treated many local people injured as a result of accidents or who have fallen seriously ill.
"It is rewarding work to be able to help people return to health but it can be heartbreaking to treat some of the many sick children brought in. The local hospitals do a fantastic job but are working on a shoestring – we help wherever we can."
Capt Shaw is due to complete her tour of duty in July. She will return to her family in Longridge to enjoy a well-earned rest and a holiday before starting her new job as a Primary Care Nurse in the military medical practice in Sennelager, Germany.
She will complete her Advanced Nurse Practitioner Course in September.
Still on duty, Capt Shaw added: "This is a rewarding role. The whole experience has been a huge learning curve.
"I have learned a phenomenal amount in a short space of time. It has challenged my practice and pushed me to my limits because I have been involved in completely new situations. But I have loved every minute of it."