Continuing my love of nursing in Liverpool

To mark International Nurses Day on 12 May, we spoke to Sherin Joseph, who joined #TeamLUHFT as an overseas nurse from Dubai last year.

“It has always been my dream to work as a nurse in the NHS. I jumped at the chance to work at Liverpool University Hospitals when the opportunity arose.

“I was born and grew up in India, and knew from a young age I wanted to be a nurse. After gaining my qualifications and beginning my career in India, I decided to move to Dubai where I worked as an Emergency Department nurse for five years.

“The thought of moving to the UK had always appealed to me, although I was hesitant to move with my two young children who I knew would struggle with the language barrier.

“I started my role as a registered nurse on Ward 24 (Respiratory) at Aintree in April 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. I work directly with the patient as soon as they’ve been admitted, including their initial assessment. I have a duty to educate the patient to ensure that they are aware of anything related to their care during their stay.

My role requires me to be alert at all times as I need to inform the medical team if there is any change in a patients’ condition. Since starting the role I have learnt all about the importance of social support. The Trust does an amazing job at linking the medical and occupational health teams to ensure patients are as comfortable as possible prior to discharge. The learning is definitely a continuous process, even after practising for 15 years!

“I have loved my time on Ward 24 so far, they have welcomed me with open arms, and it’s nice to work somewhere that focusses on equality and diversity. It’s so rewarding to see a patient through to recovery, their smiling faces remind me on a daily basis why I love this profession.

“I am a family-orientated person, and my main focus is always having a healthy work/life balance. I feel like I’ve been able to achieve this working at Aintree and I’m thankful that I’m able to spend more time with my children as they grow up so quickly!

“What was a dream for me is now a reality, and I am living it with my family. It’s amazing that my children are also receiving a great standard of education, it’s made the move to Liverpool so much easier to deal with.”