As part of our "3 questions to" series, this month we talk to a nursing assistant in the emergency department. An insight into the passion that nursing staff have for their job :

1. What is important to you in your job as a nursing assistant ?

As a nursing assistant, the relationships I have with people are the most important thing to me. In an emergency department, the way the patient is received is the starting point for good-quality care. It is the first contact that patients have with the healthcare staff. You need to know how to listen and how to ensure they are comfortable depending on their illness. Teamwork together with the nurses and doctors is vital. The ongoing training on offer enables us to keep our knowledge up to date, which is essential in a constantly developing department.

2. Why did you chose this career ?

So that I can offer help and well-being to others. In an emergency department, we are constantly coming across very different patients so no working day is ever the same. Being part of a multidisciplinary team is very rewarding. We have a common aim, which is to care for and support patients every day in difficult situations.

3. What is the best experience you have had with a patient ?

One evening, an elderly gentleman had fallen down between the wall of his garage and his car. He spent the night lying on the ground. He was only found the next day and was brought to the emergency department with hypothermia and multiple wounds. We immediately took charge of him and gave him several hours of treatment. The most rewarding thing about this situation was the satisfaction expressed by the patient. Thanks to our help, our listening and our being there, he was able to recover from this difficult situation. This type of positive relationship that we can form with a patient is our motivation to continue engaging with them on an everyday basis.