Testimonials

Overseas Nurses are supported by KGH’s Practice Development Team and their ward teams supported by the Trust’s Recruitment Team led by the HR Manager. Many other teams are also involved in their induction and orientation at the Trust.

 

One of the most important things is looking at the candidate as an individual and ensuring we support all of their needs. Clearly we need to work closely with them so they understand the OSCE exams and what they will be judged on in order to pass them. We work very hard to give them that understanding and our individualised programme is something not all Trusts do – and that is reflected in success rates. But we also go to a lot of effort to make sure they have a good place to stay, understand how to navigate banks, bills as well as how to access faith and social groups. We have some very high quality candidates who speak excellent English but there is still coaching required in the way people use slang and idiomatic expressions that at first can seem mystifying to them. Our attention to detail and openness to their feedback that has made us so successful together.

Alice Mwangi is 28 and from Kenya where she did a nursing degree and one year of internship at Gatundu Hospital an hour from Nairobi. Alice, who has one sister and two brothers, arrived at KGH on 2ndDecember 2019 after passing exams connected to her application to qualify to work in the UK. She said: “I am very excited to have arrived at Kettering General. It is a real achievement. It is a hospital that is impressive and has the capacity to see the people in its towns – it is more like a private than a public hospital in Nairobi. “Arriving here is an important step in my self-development and career development. “I am happy to see the support nurses like myself are getting at Kettering. I hope I will be beneficial to the Trust. I have a bubbly personality and I want to improve my skills and knowledge and look after the patients in the UK. “I am on an adventure and it is great to have had such a warm welcome from KGH.” Alice, with the rest of her cohort, will be following a programme of integration and acclimatisation into their new roles as Registered Nurses before working to pass their final Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE).

 

Tracy Ncube is 37, from Zimbabwe, and has 14 years of experience as a nurse at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo. She has a seven-year-old daughter, Caabilo Zulu, who has learning difficulties who is still living and being supported in Zimbabwe. She said: “At the moment the economic and political situation in Zimbabwe is very difficult and I wanted to do something to improve life for myself and my daughter and to be economically self-sufficient. “I have been at KGH since 11th October 2019 and it has been great. Everyone has been good to me and very friendly. People have not just directed me when I have got lost they have escorted me to where I needed to go. “There is a real sense of belonging here. It has taken me two years to get to the UK – doing exams and raising the money to pay for them which has involved a lot of work and support from my family, friends and relations. “This is all for my family so we can have a better future. I am starting a new life in this country. It has been very hard to leave my daughter behind but she cannot come until I am qualified. “I did have an offer from America but I decided to come to the UK because I believe it is a fairer country, with less racism and better services to support my daughter.” Tracy is also working on passing her final Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) – and has been working in theatres, shadowing different members of the team as part of her development.