Welcome to our first overseas paediatric nurse cohort! | News

Our senior nursing and midwifery team were thrilled to welcome Royal Surrey’s first cohort of overseas paediatric nurses this week.

The first five of six experienced nurses arrived from Nigeria and Ghana and were upbeat and enthusiastic about starting their new adventures. One nurse will fly in later this week.

Ndidiamaka Ajah, from Nigeria, who has worked as a paediatric nurse for 11 years in her home country said: “It’s exciting to be here and I feel elated. The weather is quite cold however!”

Kay Shekleton, Paediatric Practice Development Lead, said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming our first cohort of paediatric nurses to Royal Surrey. This is a new step for us, thanks to a change in the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) rules, which allows us to recruit overseas paediatric nurses as well as adult nurses.”

The nurses will be based in Hascombe paediatric ward and in the Paediatric Emergency Department as they work through their Test of Competence (ToC) programme to gain NMC registration.

Amy Stubbs, Professional Director of Midwifery and Paediatric Nursing, thanked Kay for the enormous amount of hard work she has given to organising the paediatric international programme. She said: “I know this will make a significant difference to our six new overseas nurses who are making the big leap and joining our Trust.

“Although it may feel quite overwhelming at first, leaving families and friends behind, we are keen to let our new recruits know that there is a great deal of support available to them to make the transition as smooth as possible. Our dedicated Practice Development and Overseas Recruitment teams are here to help with any questions, advice or support.”