As a Ward Manager, think of yourself as the captain of your own ship, but in this case a Ward. You act as a leader, protecting, managing and guiding your team, making crucial decisions, assigning duties, supervising operations, and ensuring adherence to standard operating procedures. With your leadership and expertise, you will have the ability to handle emergencies or unforeseen situations to ensure a smooth and safe running of the Ward.
In this article you will learn more about the career journey of Melissa Simon, Ward Manager at Elysium’s Farmfield hospital in Surrey, that offers low and medium secure services for male patients who have been detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 (amended 2007) and who benefit from extended treatment and rehabilitation.
Melissa joined Elysium in 2019 as an overseas Nurse, moving from Trinidad in the Caribbean to the UK. In the four years she has worked at Elysium she has been promoted three times, working her way up from Charge Nurse to Lead Nurse to Deputy Ward Manager and now Ward Manager. For a newly qualified Nurse, experienced Nurse or Deputy Ward Manager, Melissa’s career story is bound to inspire you on how you can have a successful career at Elysium.
“Though my title may be a Ward Manager, I am a Nurse on the ward first and foremost.”
Why did you choose to become a Nurse and have a career in healthcare?
For me, it wasn’t necessarily something I initially wanted to go into when I left school, however my mum told me about the benefits of nursing as it was a role that had progression, stability and gave you the opportunity to travel and work anywhere in the world. It is also a career that I have grown to love, and I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. It’s that joy you see when patients who have recovered after being so unwell, and you receive a lovely message to say thank you for getting them through a dark time in their life.
I chose to stay away from working in a general hospital as I find it hard to be around a lot of blood. So, I wanted to work with people suffering with their mental health as you’re helping them in their most vulnerable moments, and mental health is quite misunderstood and not well represented at times.
Why did you choose to join Elysium and how did you find the experience joining as an International Nurse?
I hadn’t planned to move to the UK; however, Elysium had sent recruiters to a nursing open day and after taking part in an interview, being told more information and researching more myself, I could see so many strengths to joining the team. There were so many different services and there was a great opportunity for growth with the amazing career progression Elysium provide.
I found the whole process of moving to the UK a very seamless and smooth process. I was sent lots of information about the hospital I would be joining, the area I would be moving to, rental prices and all the practical information I would need to know. I was also told the date I would be leaving, the flight details and was assigned someone who would help me to get settled. The lady I was assigned as my ‘buddy’ was great and extremely supportive. She took us shopping, out for lunch and showed me around my new area when I arrived. It is a huge step to move your whole life to another country and Elysium made the process so much easier, it was a smooth transition.
How could someone take that next step to become a Ward Manager? What skill set does it require?
I would say it is something that anyone in healthcare can work towards becoming a Ward Manager, especially as a Nurse. As a Ward Manager you need to have a deep understanding of patient care, the medical procedures required and healthcare regulations. This knowledge and clinical expertise you will acquire as you progress through the different stages as a Nurse and will allow you to oversee patient care, guide your team and use the clinical expertise to make informed decisions. I think if you didn’t have that first-hand experience or preparation, it would be too much of a leap because you’re not exposed to the situations you will find yourself in as a Ward Manager. I started Elysium as a Staff Nurse, then worked my way up to Charge Nurse, Deputy Ward Manager then Ward Manager. That hands on experience you get as a Nurse and as you progress and receive different responsibilities, will allow you to cope with looking after a full ward. Elysium also have a learning and development team that offer courses to help you progress in your career and gain a new skillset. The training support and training are continuous, and I found the management and leadership training provided really beneficial.
I would say that the main skillset required to become a Ward Manager is good leadership to help create a positive work environment, improve staff morale, and make sure the right care is provided for service users. Communication is key as you’ll be speaking with so many different people from service users, families, staff members and management. Being able to problem solve will enable you to identify and address issues across the ward and with staff. Time management is also essential as you will need to be able to juggle a lot of tasks at once and be able to prioritise tasks based on importance. Another skill is crisis control, as we sometimes have incidents on the ward that require you to make decisions quickly but also under pressure. You’ll need to be able to provide clear instructions to staff. Overall, it is a demanding but incredibly rewarding opportunity to make an impact on service users and their recovery.
What is a ‘day in the life’ like as a Ward Manager?
My role as a Ward Manager means being involved in management decisions and meetings. I would say I am more of go-between for the management and junior staff whilst also being heavily involved with the service users. One of the first things I do when I start my shift is go around the ward and say hello to our service users, it’s important to have a good relationship with them all. I always support my staff as sometimes there can be incidents and so if the alarm goes off, I’ll be out on the floor straight away. Though my title may be a Ward Manager, I am a Nurse on the ward first and foremost.
In between meetings, I set aside time to work on the rotas, constantly checking to make sure that unfilled shifts have been picked up and that everything is running smoothly.
Audits are also an important part of the role. They vary depending on your workplace, but for me they can be around cleanliness, policy compliance, care plans, training and more. Each day is different, you can never predict what any given day or week is going to look like, but that is what keeps the job interesting.
As a Ward Manager my main goal overall is to be a role model, both in how I handle challenging situations but also in how I deal with patients and staff on a day-to-day basis.
If you are a Nurse looking to take their role to the next level or an experienced Ward Manager, we have a number of opportunities across the UK at Elysium Healthcare. To find the role for you, please visit our careers page.
For more information on joining Elysium Healthcare as an Overseas Nurse, please see below.
Are you an overseas nurse dreaming of living in the UK? If you are, we might be able to support you in making the move to live and work as a nurse in the UK working for Elysium Healthcare. Over 350 nurses have successfully landed and have worked for us, with an OSCE exam first-time pass rate of over 90%.
You will need a UK qualification equivalent to that of a UK Mental Health Nurse, a qualification recognised by the NMC in the UK. Additionally, depending on where you trained and qualified, you may need to pass an English test.
At the moment there are only vacancies for Registered Metal Health Nurses, we currently do not hire international RGN qualified nurses.
With over 90 sites across England and Wales, you will work alongside an award-winning team that embraces your values and supports you to reach your full potential as a UK Registered Nurse. When you choose Elysium Healthcare as your employer, once accepted you will benefit from attending a residential induction in the UK and will also be trained by our experienced OSCE team with a dedicated OSCE coach at your side to support you clinically in preparation for taking your OSCE exam.
For more information, on moving to the UK and joining Elysium, please click here.