‘I was very clear about what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be’

What does your typical working day look like?

“My typical day starts with a daily floor walk of the maternity unit. I talk to staff at all levels, clinical, non-clinical, the multidisciplinary team, students, service users and visitors, and importantly, I listen to their concerns.”

What made you want to become a nurse?

“I was inspired by a careers talk at school about the endless possibility to specialise within nursing. I believe this to be the right approach to inspiring young people into healthcare careers and as system leaders we all need to invest in this much more. During my registered adult nurse training, I fell in love with midwifery on my obstetric placement. However, I did not pursue midwifery after qualifying as a nurse. I found myself following surgical, critical and perioperative care nursing that I loved and also raised my two children. I started planning for my midwifery career and started my training over a decade later.”

What attracted you to your current role?

“I was attracted to the autonomous role of a midwife; in supporting and caring for birthing people during pregnancy, labour and birth. This was highly motivating and nothing compares to the rewards and privileges of working with an expectant mum, partner and family in partnership during the most important impact journey in their lives. Midwifery transcends so many settings. As a woman of South Asian heritage, I did not know any midwives or nurses that looked like me. But this did not deter me, as I was very clear about what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be in my career.”

Who has had the biggest impact on your career?

“The biggest impact on my early career was made by my nursing officer, Sister Val Fawcett. As a student, I was in awe of her ‘firm, but very fair’ leadership style. Val appointed me to my first staff nurse post in the intensive care/coronary care unit of a small rural acute trust; I was selected over six other experienced nurses. Val spent time mentoring and guiding me through my initial career choices. She was a unique and inspirational leader who commanded respect from everyone.”

What’s been the stand-out moment in your career so far?

“I had the opportunity to play an integral part in Bradford’s response to the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. In this role, I had the autonomy to respond to various community needs to increase confidence and uptake in the vaccine, in particular among young and pregnant people. I have a passion for doing things differently; listening to people to really understand the core issues affecting people and to enable me to put together care pathways.”

What are your ambitions for the future?

“My ambition is to contribute to the strategic development of compassionate and responsive teams and services that deliver personalised
and holistic models of care that truly care for all our service users.”

What advice would you give to someone who wanted a job like yours?

“Work hard, be authentic, persevere, seek mentorship and never, ever give up!”