After months of hard work four care team workers at Avocet Court in Ipswich have qualified as nurses.
Genevieve Nguya, Japhet Keteku, Nicholas Mensah and Francis Nyghe have all passed their objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), meaning they can now apply to be registered nurses here in the UK.
The newly-qualified nurses have been working at the Suffolk care home over the past year as part of the care team while studying for their exams.
All four were recruited from overseas and were practicing nursing in their home countries, however, they needed to pass the OSCE to show they were competent to work here.
Genevieve, who works on the Powys community, was working as a nurse in a primary care setting in South Africa and was keen to continue her nursing career here in the UK so started studying for her OSCE before relocating.
Genevieve has worked in a range of settings including a private hospital and as an occupational nurse working for a large employer. She has experience of counselling; working on a Covid vaccination programme and gained her prescribing licence.
“What I enjoy about working in a care home is being with the people. Our residents are really interesting and each have their own unique ways. While working here as a carer I have had the opportunity to form a bond and really get to know the residents.
Nicholas and Francis were both practicing as registered nurses in Ghana but needed to complete their OSCE before gaining similar positions here in the UK. They applied to be a part of the Athena family together and have supported one another throughout their journey.
“You have to put a lot of time into studying for the first exam,” said Nicholas, having just passed his final exams. He is working as a pre-registered nurse on the Cilgerran community at Avocet Court alongside Francis, and both have spent time getting to know the residents and their life stories so they can better understand their needs.
Francis got the news he had passed his exams this week and said: “No-one told me it would be so hard but it was worth it.
“I wanted to work in the UK because I wanted to experience a different culture, and having Nicholas with me has helped because we both understand where the other is at.”
Genevieve, Japhet, Nicholas and Francis are awaiting their registration documents before moving up to work as fully-qualified nurses within their communities.
Ruth Garnham, General Manager at Avocet Court Care Home, said: “Not only are we gaining four new nurses but four nurses who know our residents and our homes. Over the past year Genevieve, Japhet, Nicholas and Francis have become valued members of the Avocet family and they have forged relationships with our residents.
“We are excited to see them progress in the next stage of their careers and further improve nursing care here at Avocet Court. Having four new nurses within the team, plus another nurse currently going through our induction programme, means we will be able to reduce agency use and offer more continuity to our residents.”
