BSUH Proudly International

Azahara Rojas Moreno, Junior Sister, talks about why she enjoys working at BSUH.

“I came here in January 2015. I wanted to work in a place close to London, near the airport – because I have to go home to visit – and by the sea. I lived by the coast in Valencia and the sea makes me happy, even in the winter. I also wanted to be in a city with a good culture.”

When she first came to the Trust, Azahara worked on a small ward where medically-fit patients were waiting to be transferred. This smaller, quieter environment helped when her English was not quite as good as it is now. “Three of us started at the same time and at first we were all a bit afraid of picking up the telephone. But working on the small ward really helped my English.”

Today, Azahara is where she always wanted to be – working in A&E. “The reason I wanted to come to England was because I wanted to work in A&E. In Spain it is harder to choose where you want to work. You have to work where they send you. It was always in my heart to experience working in the NHS. When I did my degree we heard from people who had worked in England and the stories were always very positive.

“I’ve been here four years and the team is amazing. It’s one of the reasons that people keep working here. It’s because the teams are so strong and supportive. If you need help everyone rushes to see what they can do, and we get lots of support from the senior staff as well. The care for patients is very good.”

Azahara has taken additional training at the university, which was funded by the Trust. She also funded herself on the first part of an Emergency Nurse Practitioner course and the Trust is now funding the second part, which starts this May. Other training opportunities are ongoing. On occasions, Azahara acts as a shift leader in A&E, so she’s in charge, and this is good training and is helping progress her career.

Obviously, during the Brexit period there has been some uncertainty throughout the UK. But Azahara says: “BSUH is very international and I think that’s a good thing. It means we can learn from each other about different healthcare systems and different techniques, and it all helps us look after our patients better.”