Dental Nurse redeployed to Adult Critical Care – Christian's experience
Hi, my name is Christian Villa and I’m a dental nurse at The Royal London Hospital.
I grew up in Columbia and have been in London for 15 years now. Before becoming a dental nurse, I worked as a teacher. Wanting a career change, I did my dental training at Barts Health, and have been working at the Royal London for 5 years.
What I like about my job is being able to help people; I love to advise and care for our patients. The variety of departments I can work in within the trust also gives me exposure and experience to grow both professionally and personally.
When I found out I was going to be redeployed 4 weeks ago, I had a mixture of emotions. On one hand I was excited to be learning new skills and being able to help out during the pandemic. On the other hand, I was nervous of what was going to come and the new challenges I was about to face.
I have been working in the Adult Critical Care Unit (ACCU) for 3 weeks now with Covid-19 positive patients. On the plus side I can honestly say that I’m having a great time. I feel fulfilled knowing that I’m able to help out during one of the most difficult periods of our time. It’s been a massive U-turn being in a completely new and different environment.
Working in ACCU, I have learnt so much and have also overcome many difficult moments. I have never been alone, and I have always been supported by my colleagues. Even when I’m not sure about something, I feel reassured by them as they’re always there to answer my questions and concerns.
It is busy and there is always something to do; lots of opportunities to learn on a daily basis. I feel overwhelmed at times which is normal I guess; most of us might feel like that at some point but I’m an optimist. I feel extremely proud that I’m doing my best to help others when they need it the most.
My advice on redeployment during the pandemic is to have an open mind. You’ll be helping people and you’ll be learning and growing at the same time. If you need help, someone will always be there to support you and you won’t be alone!