Publish date: 10 May 2024
One of the best things about AWP is absolutely the team spirit, among the nurses. I really enjoy the ward I work in – and that’s because of the team.
I’m originally from Kerala, in India and I then worked as a nurse in Saudi Arabia for six years. Including two years as a mental-health nurse in a psychiatric ward.
I have learned a lot of positive things from the NHS, especially the team work. We are working as a close team and doing everything together. The other nurses I work with are very compassionate.
If a young person is thinking about nursing as a career, I would tell them that there are lots of opportunities, unlike some other jobs. Everywhere, we can see hospitals, care homes, so there’s no problem searching for jobs or getting a job.
When I started with AWP in September 2022, my initial title was Healthcare Worker, because with our degrees from India, we need to pass specific competency tests over here. I’m now Charge Nurse, which is something my supportive manager encouraged me to go for.
The patients I work with are dementia patients, who can be confused and, at times, distressed. It makes all of us happy that we’re doing something and caring. We feel blessed that we are able to help them.
I’m based at the Dune Ward, in the Long Fox Unit, in Weston Super Mare. I really enjoy the ward and the team, with my manager Megan Williams. She’s so good. I have a 10-year-old daughter and I’m pregnant with my next child, who is expected in June. There is great support here, for someone who is pregnant.
In my ten-plus years of working, I had never had this kind of support before. I actually cried in front of her one day, saying “oh Megan, nobody considered me like this before, nobody ever gave me this kind of support”. She tells me I’m really appreciated and doing a good job. But not only to me, to all the nurses. She sums up the caring spirit of AWP nurses.
