'I'm a better version of me now I'm a nurse'

A nurse who left Guernsey's hospitality industry to take up a role in mental health says the change has made her a "better version" of herself.

Zory Darman first came to Guernsey to work at an island hotel before taking an assistant role at the hospital and training to become mental health nurse.

She has shared her story as part of a move by Health and Social Care to encourage people living in Guernsey to take roles in healthcare and reduce its staff shortage.

Mrs Darman said that, since working as a nurse, she had developed her courage, determination compassion and respect.

Mrs Darman was working various roles at a hotel and became its mental health ambassador, which she decided to turn in to a profession.

She got a job as a healthcare assistant at the hospital, where she was offered training as a substance misuse nurse, which she completed over six years.

She said the training and the role had taught her a lot about herself.

She said: "The courage, the determination, the compassion and the respect have all developed... I do think that I am becoming a better version of myself working in this industry.

"You need to respond in the best way that you can and you will learn constantly, you never cease studying."

She added: "I have colleagues who are mature students like me and I have colleagues who have done this their whole life.

"We are all different, just like our clients are different and unique."

Susan Lesbirel, ward sister at Tautenay Ward, used to work in hospitality before taking a role as a healthcare assistant in 1994.

She said: "I got in because I wanted to find my own identity.

"I was a mum-of-three, which was fine, then I got to a certain stage where I thought I need to do something else.

"I started off as a bank nurse and it might only have been one night or two nights, but I found myself and I thought I really quite like doing this."

Over the next 32 years, Mrs Lesbirel went from an auxiliary nurse to ward sister, only having started her full training at 50.

"It's been a wonderful journey," she said.

Al Brouard, President of the Committee for Health and Social Care, said it was important to hire people who lived in Guernsey.

He said: "It means that those members of staff have a local connection, they understand the island, they probably also understand the patients as well.

"We have reduced the numbers of agency staff but we still very much value and rely on them.

"I don't think we will ever get to a position where we will be able to grow all our own staff.

"So I think we will always have a reliance on support from other countries."

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