Marites Villareal, or Tess to her friends and colleagues, takes her job with her everywhere she goes. She can’t help it, and says, “You’re never off-duty, but it’s nice to be able to share your talents with other people.” To her that’s what nursing means.
Born in the Philippines, Tess has been part of the nursing team at Four Seasons Weston Park, in Macclesfield, for over five years. She first joined as a general nurse, and has since progressed to the role of unit manager, overseeing the staff and residents in the Mulberry unit.
“I joined when they were recruiting nurses from the Philippines and I did my ONP (Overseas Nursing Programme) here with Four Seasons. After my ONP period I moved to Scotland – but it was too cold there so I moved further south!”
While she has significant experience managing hospital wards in the Philippines, Tess wanted to familiarise herself with working in the UK and residential care before taking on a bigger role.
“I was offered a unit manager position but I was keen to settle in and get to know the residents first, as well as get a sense of how the units are run here. I have more challenges in residential nursing care and I like it – especially working with the residents. You can see the difference you’re making to their lives and you get attached to them. It’s nice making them happy and seeing them smile.
“One of my favourite resident stories is of Barbara, who is like a mum to all of us. There was a day when a staff nurse called in sick, and there was no time to replace her, so I was working a very long shift. Barbara came up to me as I was preparing the evening medicine trolley, noticed I looked tired, and offered to help me by pushing the trolley. She was really sweet and even gave me a kiss on the cheek to make me feel better! It uplifted my heart – it goes to show that when we respect and love them, they show their appreciation.”
This sentiment is core to our holistic approach to care. Our nurses put their heart and soul into ensuring our residents are comfortable and happy and their considerate nature shows.
“Most residents have vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s, so if they’re comfortable and happy, then that makes the families happy too. I’ve had a good day if I leave work and I see that my residents are happy – that’s the most important thing. That’s our main calling.”
--------------------------------------------
Follow us on Facebook
www.thefilipinonurse.net
The filipinonurse.net is always on the lookout for interesting stories about Filipino Nurses worldwide. If you know of a Filipino nurse who should be featured here, please feel free to send us a message via our Facebook Page.
0 Comments