What is your career history? Tell us about your nursing journey.
Funnily enough, I didn’t want to be a nurse at first. I originally wanted to be a journalist because I loved storytelling, but my dad managed to convince me to pursue nursing eventually because it was the best career option for me at the time. I became a registered nurse in the Philippines in 1998, with my first job being a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse before becoming a surgical nurse.
I moved to London in 2001 and started working in a special care baby unit, which was where I felt I finally found my calling as a nurse. When I became a mother, I wanted to look for a role that gave me more flexibility with my hours. This was when I moved to a respiratory ward in a general hospital and gained extensive experience in respiratory medicine. I progressed my career over the years and eventually became a sister.
In 2016, I moved to Royal Brompton Hospital as a day unit/bronchoscopy sister, before becoming sister/charge nurse in the Fulham Wing outpatients department in 2020.
What do you do day-to-day?
The outpatients department is a busy department that mainly supports patients with cardiac, cardiothoracic and/or respiratory conditions. Across the entire department, we might see around 400 to 450 patients each day, either face-to-face or online for consultations. The consultations involve the medical team carrying out assessments both before and after a patient’s surgery, as well as initiating and reviewing ongoing treatment. It’s my team’s responsibility to ensure the department runs as smoothly as possible.
My team of 10 – made up of five healthcare assistants, three nurses and myself – are responsible for triaging patients before they are seen by a clinician and other healthcare professionals involved in their care. Prior to a patient’s allocated appointment time, my team may do assessments on the patient which may include things like weight and blood pressure. We also arrange for any other additional tests they may need such as lung or heart function tests including electrocardiograms (ECGs), spirometry and exercise tests.
In terms of what I do day-to-day, I start the day with a team huddle to discuss clinical requirements for the day and to check in on the team’s wellbeing. As a leader of a team who works in a busy corner of the hospital, it’s important for me to make sure that my team feel supported with everything they do.
After the huddle, I do my rounds around the department and check for any issues or additional support that colleagues may need. I liaise with consultants regularly, such as when making changes to help make a clinic run more smoothly or when a patient needs additional attention.
Besides working closely with colleagues across the department, I chat to as many of our patients as possible, as it’s important to get to know them and build a relationship.
What do you love about being a nurse?
There is no one answer to this!
Working as a NICU nurse initially, prepared me for my own journey of motherhood, which is something that I’ll always hold close to my heart.
I love how nursing is rewarding in many aspects. It feels rewarding when you see a patient respond to treatments and recover, and when you’re able to make patients feel more comfortable during their stay through simple things like having a chat.
I love working in a team and coming together in pursuit of providing the best possible care for patients. I love leading my team and working to elevate each other, and how at the age of 58, I feel like I’m still learning so many things from my fellow colleagues and patients.
Being a nurse allows me to listen to others’ stories. In my team, it is commonplace for us to share stories of kindness (through our recently launched ‘kindness corner’ during our team huddles!) and our successes. I also believe that hearing patients share stories with me, whether happy or sad, contributes to my growth both as a nurse and an individual.
I can’t imagine not being a nurse. I mentioned originally wanting to be a journalist because I loved storytelling and because I wanted a ‘sophisticated’ career. But I discovered that I can be sophisticated in another way, by providing compassion and being authentic to patients and others around me.
It’s through this profession that I learned about servant and altruistic leadership, a leadership style that is underpinned by focusing on the needs of others and involving them in decision making to enable growth. By becoming a nurse, I learned about the importance of looking at care holistically and what it means to shepherd others.
What has been the highlight of your nursing career so far?
Throughout my nursing career, I’ve been nominated for a few awards, including ‘Nurse Leader of the Year’ in the 2024 Nursing Times Awards and ‘Nurse Manager of the Year’ and ‘Diversity and Inclusion Champion of the Year’ in the 2024 Nursing Times Workforce Awards. Last year I was honoured to win Highly Commended Mentor of the Year’ at Brunel University and ‘Sister of the Year for Infection Prevention and Control’ in 2022 within the Trust.
However, awards and nominations are secondary to me. The real highlight of my nursing career so far has been taking on a more senior role as a charge nurse and leading a team. It’s important to me to implement a positive work culture and ensure that my team’s voices are heard.
Being able to navigate around people’s differences and playing to each person’s strengths to manage a busy department is no small feat, and I feel that my success ultimately lies on the success of others.
Helping people thrive motivates me and I see the peak of my career as having sufficient experience to support new managers in navigating their own leadership journey.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in nursing?
Nursing is all about caring for others. The knowledge will come as you learn and navigate your journey as a nurse, but you have to get the fundamentals right – you have to be kind and compassionate.
I also believe in continuously developing your knowledge and skills during and beyond the early stages of your career. That’s why I’m currently doing the Rosalind Franklin Programme from the NHS Leadership Academy, a year-long course which focuses on reflecting on your leadership journey and how to bring about positive change to your team and the wider organisation.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love to bake and make things from scratch, so you’ll often find me in the kitchen at home or by a table doing arts and crafts. I also like to make use of my time to reflect while I walk with our family dog.