Welcoming new international nurses to Team NNUH
By the end of May, 96 new nurses will be joining us from outside the UK with the new recruits working in medicine and surgery to fill our vacancies and support teams that are expanding.
The first 27 nurses have arrived and they are working through the pre-registration programme which leads to the OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) that tests practical skills and competences.
Once they have passed the exam, they are registered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and able to work in the UK.
Two of the first recruits to join were Ruth Ifezue and Richard Aggrey who will both be working in theatres.
Ruth was attracted to our hospital because it was a research centre and had a robotic surgery programme. “I was surprised by the size of the hospital and I’m looking forward to meeting patients and learning more about local culture,” said Ruth.
Richard is from Ghana and started his training as a nurse six years ago. “Everyone is looking forward to starting work as soon as we pass the exam,” he said.
“As a group, we have good language skills and already hold BSc degree qualifications and diplomas.”
“It’s such a pleasure to teach these enthusiastic young recruits and support them as they adapt to life in Norfolk,” said Lisa Dennis, Practice Development Nurse, who is one of the tutors for the international nurses.
“Once they start work, they will have a named person in their work area who will provide further mentoring through our preceptorship programme.”
“We’re delighted that our first cohorts have arrived and we’d like everyone to offer them a very warm welcome,” said Yvonne Christley, Deputy Chief Nurse.
“Our hospital teams are very busy and we’re boosting nurse numbers in many ways, including international recruitment.”