"I have been teaching since 1998 and really wanted to put my skills to good use"
Published: 04 May 2020
Zoë alongside fellow St George’s staff member Andrew O'Neill who is also working at the Nightingale, London as a Simulation Technician.
Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Science and Practice, Zoë Hayman, is currently working at NHS Nightingale in London. Zoe discusses what her role there involves, her motivations for getting involved and her experience at the Nightingale so far.
Zoë explains, “I am part of the NHS Nightingale Education Team. Within that, there are lots of different types of training being delivered. As I have an MSc in Medical and Healthcare Simulation, I am in the simulation team.
“My role involves familiarising staff to the ICU (intensive care unit) patients. Some of those heading to the Nightingale will never have been inside an ICU before and will be working as Clinical Support Workers.
“The training they receive is talking them through the ICU bed space, explaining what everything is and how to use it. We run through the assessments of an ICU patient as well as a short scenario managing different complications. If the staff coming for training are already experienced in ICU, we run more in-depth scenarios for them.
“It was hard to be at home seeing all the work that needed to be done and not being involved at all. I have been teaching since 1998 and really wanted to put my skills to good use.
“It has been very rewarding. There is real sense of camaraderie amongst the education team. Morale is high and there is a lot of support available for us. After only two days in the team, it was as though we had all been working together for ages.
“I am proud to be doing what I can to train staff for the Nightingale. I am also very proud of our students for getting themselves out on the frontline or with '111’ taking some of the thousands of calls that are being received everyday. It is amazing to see the country coming together to do whatever they can to get through this pandemic.”