As an Elysium Nurse, you can expect to have a rewarding and diverse career that offers not only job stability, lifelong learning, and a diverse range of career opportunities but also the opportunity to positively impact people’s lives. You’ll join a workforce of committed and motivated Nurses that are able to achieve their career aspirations.
There are career development opportunities, with learning pathways and a huge range of courses that will help you grow and succeed in your Nursing career. If you have the determination and dedication, we can give you the support and opportunities to help you achieve your career goals.
An example of a Nurse who has excelled in their career is Sean Crowley, Lead Nurse at Elysium’s Thornford Park Hospital based in Berkshire, which supports and empowers service users in their recovery and rehabilitation. In this article you will learn about his incredible career journey and the career opportunities available for Elysium Nurses.
Tell us more about your career journey with Elysium.
I have been working at Elysium for the past 8 ½ years and I currently oversee four of the wards within Thornford Park Hospital. The four wards cover medium secure, low secure and psychiatric intensive care units. I did my Nursing Qualification at University College Cork and I worked on Mental Health Wards as part of my placements. I then moved to the UK and started working for Elysium and I have progressed a lot throughout that time. Whilst working for Elysium over the past 8 and half years I have worked as a Preceptorship Nurse, then Junior Staff Nurse, Midpoint Nurse, Senior Staff Nurse, then Deputy Ward Manager, Ward Manager and then now Lead Nurse.
I think that I have always been hard working, caring and always able to take time to listen to both service users and staff. I can work well under pressure, and I am always putting myself out there to develop myself and also help others to develop too. My promotions and how I have progressed over the years are down to me believing in myself and applying for position or my line manager putting me forward. For example, for my current as Lead Nurse, I had a discussion with my Line Manager about wanting to step up and have more responsibilities then from there I applied for the job as soon as it became available. If you have the skillset, determination and drive, Elysium will give you the platform to step up and progress.
Have you received any qualifications throughout your time at Elysium?
I have become a Managing Violence and Aggression (MVA) Tutor for the hospital as well, so I took part in a Staff MVA three-week course. This has allowed me to have the qualification to train staff within the hospital around management of violence and aggression. I’ve also taught staff on the use of handcuffs, safeguarding relational security and I do induction training as well in the hospital, so I completed Level 3 Risk Assessment training and an Education Training qualification as well. Then when I stepped into Ward Manager role, I started to teach a little bit less, but I started my Level 5 in Leadership Management. All of the courses were provided by Elysium through our learning and development team who are committed to providing each employee with career development opportunities.
How did you get into Nursing? Is there a lot of opportunities when you go into Nursing?
I completed my Nurse Qualification at the University of Cork, working as a Student Nurse and then Healthcare Assistant whilst completing my studies before I moved to the UK and started working at Elysium. Once I was in my final year, I was looking at jobs in different areas and the job in England came up. So, I decided to give it a go and ended up loving it. Elysium offer a lot of opportunities to progress in your career, it keeps you motivated.
Within healthcare itself, obviously as there are staff shortages that come up, there are different things that can cause stress, but it is also a lot to do with how the team around you cope with that. The team you are in is so important. My team are quite resilient and able to manage all types of situations. This is a huge motivation as knowing you have a strong team around you will help and support you on those difficult days.
Of course, like I have said there is a lot of career progression opportunities, but at the heart of nursing delivering care is the priority and ensuring that we’re delivering effective care. Its highly rewarding to see that progression and transition of our service users making the step from secure services and to then leaving hospital all together. Even the small changes and steps you find rewarding as you know that someone has worked so hard to get to that stage.
What made you want to go into nursing? What was the moment you knew it was the career path you wanted to go down?
To be honest, when I was choosing my subjects for GCSE and A-level, they were all centred towards becoming an Engineer. So, I did Construction Technology and Physics and then as it got closer to applying for university courses, I realised I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was looking at those different jobs I was working in at the time, wondering whether I go into Hospitality or stick to Engineering/Mechanics. However, at the back of my mind was nursing but I don’t know why in particular. My grandmother was a Nurse, but I didn’t ever see her practising as a Nurse. My parents didn’t go down the nursing route either at all, so it wasn’t something ingrained in me or a family tradition. I mainly thought let’s apply for it on my university application then if I got it, I got it and if I didn’t then it wasn’t meant be. Then when I was accepted, I said if I do the first year and enjoy it, then happy days, if I don’t, then I can leave the course. And then I graduated and the rest of the history really.
If it wasn’t your first choice, what kept you in nursing?
If I had to write down on a piece of paper what I wanted from my career it would be making a difference for someone and having the opportunity to pull them out of a dark place. I personally enjoy the acute side of mental health and prefer working with people who are really unwell in the initial stage, and they respond to treatment and start the recovery process. Having done my MVA training I am now able to train other staff members as well. I enjoy being able to share that knowledge and wisdom.
What skills do you think you need to be a Nurse?
As a Mental Health Nurse, one of the most important skills is to be able to listen. People will talk and you can hear people talking but are you actually listening to what they’re saying, and you have to read between the lines as well. So, if somebody’s very unwell, maybe delusional, hostile, aggressive, they’re still communicating with you. You need to ask yourself what is it that they’re saying between all the curse words and that anger.
If they don’t know where they are, potentially because of their mental health, there is a simple solution to this and that’s showing the person where they on Google maps and where they are in the country, explaining that this is a hospital, tell them my name etc. Something as simple as that can make a situation so much easier to deal with.
It is also a lot to do with how you communicate, you don’t always communicate with spoken words, that’s a very small part of what we do, actually it’s the body language and the way we approach situations that are so important. The majority of our service users they have come here because they’ve had to, not because it’s their choice, so we have to build trust from the ground up.
Another skill that I think you need to have is resilience. The person that you are looking after is likely to be scared so, understanding their behaviour is really important, you can’t take offence, you have to work with them.
If you are a newly qualified or experienced Nurse looking for a new opportunity to work in an organisation that will help you to develop and achieve your goals, then Elysium healthcare could be for you. To find a new opportunity at one of our sites across the UK, click here to view our careers page.
Is a Career in Nursing Right for You?
If you have a passion for caring for others, thrive in fast-paced environments, and possess strong communication and problem-solving skills, then nursing could be the perfect career for you. From bedside care to leadership roles, there’s a nursing path that fits your strengths and interests.
As an Elysium Nurse you’ll develop expertise in patient care, medical treatments, and teamwork while making a real difference in people’s lives. A career in nursing is challenging, rewarding, and life-changing. If you’re ready to provide compassionate care and support to those in need, we’d love to hear from you.