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A graduation ceremony was held at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) for nurses who have successfully completed a nine-month Anaesthetics Nurse Course.

The ‘Anaesthetic Nurse Course’, an in-house course developed by the Specialist Education Team in Theatres, is designed to upskill already qualified theatre scrub nurses, enabling them to support and work confidently alongside anaesthetists in theatres.

Eight nurses succeeded in passing the course and a graduation event was held in the Education Centre at QEHB to celebrate. 

Mel Da Silva, Specialist Educator and Course Lead, said: “I’m immensely proud of this year’s graduates. They have shown outstanding commitment and compassion while developing the specialist skills and confidence to deliver safe anaesthetic care. Their achievements strengthen our theatre teams and enhance the quality of care we provide to patients during a vulnerable stage of their surgical journey.” 

“I’m really proud of the eight colleagues who went on this year’s programme. They have been a fantastic cohort, full of enthusiasm, dedication and compassion. They are real assets to our theatre team and contribute hugely to the hospital’s commitment to deliver simply better care.”

Neville Nganga, one of the nurses who recently completed the course, said: “I have been working as a nurse for the past six years in theatres. This course provides the next step for me in terms of skills. I’ve learned to balance the airway and provide specific care to patients undergoing surgery. It is a huge privilege and responsibility to be one of the last people a patient sees before going under anaesthetic and to provide that pre-operative care and give that reassurance.”

Eleni Vomva, another graduate on the course, added: “I love working in Theatres, I like the urgent nature of it and enjoy working with machines. I really enjoyed the anaesthetic nurse course –it was hard work, with regular reflections and exams but I learned so much.”

Sabah Iftikhar, a fellow nurse on the programme, said: “I qualified as a nurse three years ago and have worked in Theatres ever since. I’m a scrub nurse and I’m able to do recovery but wanted to expand my skillset further. The course was a brilliant insight into what a nurse anaesthesia degree might be like, which is something I’m considering.”