Why did you want to be a ward manager?
I didn’t always want to be a nurse, I initially trained to be a teacher. Whilst at university I worked across a large hospital as a porter, cleaner and housekeeper to fund my studies and I loved it. I worked every where – accident and emergency, theatres and even the mortuary. I decided not to go into teaching but travelled for a couple of years still going back to the hospital to fund this. It was here I found my love for nursing; I saw what nurses did – role models, as well as traits I didn’t want. Eventually I did my nurse training a little later in life and as a student I found my love for the specialty I now work in.
I was lucky enough to have the most fantastic mentor as a student who, is still my mentor today. I loved working out how to improve practice, and implementing change right from being newly qualified; I always had a little project on the go. After a few years I became a charge nurse, a role I held for several years, leading the shift I was working on an as well as mentoring students.
I have been ward manager for the last few years and it is a role that I love, I can really get to grips with new projects, support and nurture the team I work with as well as promoting best practices that lead to excellent patient care and patient outcomes.
Day-to-day tasks?
The good part of my role is no day is the same as day-to-day tasks are wide ranging as I have management responsibilities but still have lots of patient contact which is very rewarding. When working clinically I can be leading the ward ensuring all staff know their responsibilities and supporting them with those, coordinating discharges, triaging admissions, dealing with ward attenders, managing a large and complex MDT as well as organising treatments anything can happen on a busy specialist ward – it usually does – but it is dealt with to ensure the patients get the best possible care, that they recommend the ward and when admitted to hospital ask to be transferred here because we know them their specific needs.
Another aspect of my role is managing the running of the ward including preparing rosters, ensuring there is a safe level of staffing on each shift, reviewing incidents and sharing any lessons learned, disseminating trust and collaborative messages to the team, managing staff in terms of welfare support and supporting their development, recruiting staff and retaining them, maintaining the highest standards of care for our patients and families as well as full range of tasks that support the day-to-day running of the ward.
Most fulfilling part of the job?
The most fulfilling part of the job is knowing that the team I work with deliver the best and highest standards of care and we know that we are doing this through the feedback we receive from patients, students and members of the MDT. This was verified when we were awarded with Diamond STAQC accreditation in 2023.
There are many challenges also including external factors but we manage these together as a team. I am proud of the work I do and proud of our team and all that we achieve.