QA Hospital nurses reveal how they ‘fell in love’ with the job
THEY work long hours in extremely challenging conditions – but nurses at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth describe their jobs as ‘rewarding.’
In line with International Nurses Day yesterday they have opened up to The News about the highs and lows of their shifts, and why they ‘fell in love’ with the profession.
NEIL SESBRENO – NURSE IN CHARGE ON THE RENAL UNIT
Neil is a highly skilled nurse, originally from the Philippines, who has been on the renal unit since
2001.
He said: ‘It wasn't very easy at the beginning, because I’ve been nursing for 32 years and back then there were very, very few men who joined the nursing field. It was a femaledominated world. Gaining the trust of the patients as a male nurse was not very easy either. It was quite challenging because every time I would start helping with a patient, they would point blank ask for a female nurse instead, and I needed to ask permission in order to help them.
‘It took a while for the public to come round to male nurses and we are starting to increase our numbers in the hospital so it has become much easier. More and more male nurses are joining and there’s a good mixture now. The reaction from patients is so much better.
‘Prior to that I had done so many rotations in specialist areas like the emergency department, ITU, respiratory and surgical, but the day I started in renal I knew I had found where I wanted to be.
‘This is a place where I can see the patient come in on day one feeling very unwell, with the family panicking a lot, and then we offer them the best that the medical profession can provide. We care for them up to transplantation, through to sending them home and being with their family. It is an amazing and scary journey for them, and I wanted to help them through it, it’s where I want to be. It's an amazing feeling when they are discharged.’
CAROLINE MCCREA – ADVANCED CRITICAL CARE PRACTITIONER
Advanced critical care practitioner Caroline has worked at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust for nearly six years. Before she came to QA, she was a cardiothoracic nurse specialist in London. She comes from a family of medics including both parents and her identical twin sister is an anaesthetist registrar.
Caroline’s background is in nursing and she has been an advanced critical care practitioner at QA for nearly six years, but nursing wasn’t always her first choice.
She said: ‘Nursing actually wasn’t on my radar initially, I wanted to study medicine but I didn’t manage to get into medical school.
‘So I did my nursing degree at university and from the moment I went on my first placement I just fell in love. I loved meeting different patients and learning about various treatments.
‘You always have something new to learn every day and it’s a job that you could never get bored of.’
Caroline is one of the many PHU nurses to feature in the 10-part documentary series, Nurses on the Ward. The documentary airs on Thursdays at 8pm on W Channel.
PRIYANKA ABRAHAM – RESEARCH NURSE SPECIALIST
Priyanka worked on E8 Ward at Queen Alexandra Hospital (QA) for three years before becoming a research nurse specialist in January 2022.
Her role in respiratory research involves recruiting and meeting patients that are taking part in different trials.
Priyanka had never worked in research before but wanted a new challenge.
She said: ‘I had never considered a job in research but my colleague recommended the role to me.
‘I had a look through the job description and it seemed like a really interesting opportunity.
‘I was able to shadow someone in research to see what the job would involve and I felt I would fit in well.’
In research, Priyanka is able to study the long-term impacts of various trials, including how medications affect patients over time.
She is able to work on quality improvement and is a vital part of helping to ensure that patients receive the best care possible.
‘Every day is different in research,’ Priyanka said.
‘It feels great to be part of something big and the quality of care we can give someone always makes me smile.’
She added: ‘It (the job) will challenge you and there is always space for development. You will have the opportunity to make real change.’
JONATHON CORONEL – JUNIOR CHARGE NURSE ON THE RENAL UNIT
Jonathon has worked at QA Hospital for 21 years. He does a range of things in his role from coordinating patients and staff, assessing walk-in patients and looking after transplant patients.
He said: ‘I enjoy building relationships and trust with patients. If the trust isn’t there, it isn’t going to work.
‘Watching the patient journey and how our long-term patients improve over time is really rewarding.’ •Are you interested in a career in nursing?
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust is currently looking for new nurses (band 5) to come and join the team across a variety of areas.
To find out more and to register your interest visit porthosp.nhs.uk/recruitingnow.htm.
Liz Rix, chief nurse at PHU, said: ‘When I started at Portsmouth it was immediately apparent how strong the community is within and surrounding the hospital.
‘And just how proud people are of Portsmouth and of PHU.’