As we celebrate International Nurses’ Day, we shine a spotlight on the journey of a nurse whose passion for patient care led her to Macclesfield Hospital
Ward Sister, Maria Shibu, originally from India, embarked on her nursing career with a dream of becoming a doctor, but her passion for patient care led her to choose nursing, a path she embraced wholeheartedly.
Reflecting on her roots, Maria shares, "In India, I'm from a small village with hardly any hospitals. There was only one small hospital, and people, especially the elderly, had to travel half an hour to an hour to get there. Seeing my grandparents and others suffer to get healthcare made me determined to become a doctor. Although I didn't become a doctor, I knew I wanted to be a health professional to look after people."
Maria’s journey began in 2015 when she started her four-year nursing degree, which she completed in 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she gained valuable experience working in a hospital in India, specifically in a bone marrow transplant unit and medical-surgical units.
On her move to Macclesfield she explains, “In 2021, I moved to the UK and joined Macclesfield Hospital as part of the overseas recruitment programme. I didn’t know much about the Trust initially, but the welcoming nature of the interview process along with some background research convinced me to join.”
In April 2021, Maria started working in Ward 5, the surgical ward at Macclesfield Hospital. “The main attractive thing for me to be in the UK was about the variety of career opportunities and extensive surgical practice, so I decided in my mind I needed to be in surgery as I love surgery.
"It was all very different to what we practiced back home, but the staff here were really welcoming and supportive. They helped me through the training and processes, which gave me valuable experience and helped me to settle in. On the ward we support each other and there is great teamwork. The staff are excellent and have excellent surgical experience.
“In terms of challenges, the communication barrier was the first challenge I faced. Interacting with patients and their relatives was initially difficult, but I managed to cope after a few months.”
Now four years on from beginning her journey at Macclesfield Hospital, Maria has recently taken on the role of Ward Sister and a move she has hugely embraced.
She explains. “At the beginning I worked on nights and did so for almost two to three years. This gave me great exposure to the new settings. Obviously, I know the days are different but, on nights, you are independent.
“I was in charge on some of the shifts so you need to have that ability to manage the ward so that helped me a lot and staff gave me that great amount of support to be in charge. Every day was a new lesson, that's all I say in my mind. So just learn through the lessons, as starting a new career, you will make mistakes. I'm a person who doesn’t hide the mistakes. I'm always really happy to stand for my mistakes and reflect from that really. That all made me grow as a person and be able to be in charge.
“I'm so passionate about my profession. I'm a person who really likes to give great care to my patients and always be there for them. If I didn't get support from my colleagues and give me that confidence, I wouldn't be here in this role.”
Found a problem? Report it and help us to improve our website