At 16, walking out of school clutching her GCSE results, Jade Mitchell knew all she wanted to do was become a nurse.
Soon after leaving school in 2000, Jade got her first nursing job as a health care assistant at Queen’s Hospital, in Burton, before training to become a fully qualified nurse in 2005. She has since worked in hospitals across Birmingham, Warwick and West Bromwich.
Keen to work in emergency departments, this was what she moved on to do, working in the acute medical unit at Warwick Hospital.
The 33-year-old, from Horninglow, has now progressed in her career, moving around hospitals across the area and has re-joined the hospital she started at as a matron, leading her own team of nurses.
She said: “There’s not as much hands-on work, as I focus more on supporting my team. The way I look at it is how I lead my team impacts on our patients, so I want to do the best I can.”
As a matron, Jade now has much more responsibility on the ward and works to make patients’ stays as comfortable as possible.
She has taken on the challenging role and uses every day to make things better for her team and her patients.
Jade does still do shifts working purely as a nurse, in hopes that this will set a good example for the members of her team.
She said: “It’s been a challenge and there are times when I have to make some difficult decisions, but this has always been my career aspiration.
“I’ve finally got where I’ve wanted to be all my life – when I got the job, I was like ‘what do I do now?’
“For now though, I’m happy where I am. I am loving being a matron, and I’m going to keep going loving what I do.”
When she’s not looking after her patients on the ward, Jade goes home to look after her nine-year-old son Malachi. As a single mum, things can become quite tough, but Jade’s family often step in to help with childcare, allowing Jade to excel in her career.
Staff Nurse Recruitment Day
The hospital is holding a staff nurse open day on Wednesday, July 19 for aspiring nurses to visit the hospital and get a taste for what happens as a nurse.
The hospital is looking to recruit qualified and newly qualified staff nurses across a number of units including acute assessment unit, short stay, elderly care, theatres, and in intensive care units.
The event will take place at the medical education centre at Queen’s Hospital from 3.30pm until 7.30pm and is open to all.
Interviews will be offered on the day to those interested and visitors will have an opportunity to have a look around the different departments.
