We wish a warm welcome to our new international recruitment manager, Yoma Oweh. Yoma joins NHS Lanarkshire as part of our continued efforts to support the recruitment of hard to fill roles.
Prior to joining NHS Lanarkshire, Yoma worked with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and NHS Lothian as well as NHS Education for Scotland.
Yoma said: “I joined NHS Lanarkshire to help make a difference in the health and care of people living and working in Lanarkshire and to provide support – in my role as international recruitment manager – to ensure that our hospitals and health centres are adequately staffed.”
It has been a busy time for Yoma since she joined us, with the first group of internationally recruited nurses having recently arrived from India.
Eight experienced nurses have joined University Hospital Wishaw to work in a variety of different departments including paediatrics, perioperative, care of the elderly and the emergency department.
Yoma said: “The nurses have just arrived in Scotland and we are currently going through the induction process. We have a ‘buddy system’ in place partnering our current and new nurses. Our pastoral care team are also involved, offering support to help the new nurses settle in.
“We will be doing everything can to make them feel at home over the coming weeks and months.”
The next group of nurses will join University Hospital Monklands later this month before some new medical staff arrive in August.
The key aim for the rest of this year will be to establish the international recruitment unit, with a view to expanding overseas recruitment across more NHS Lanarkshire health and care job families. Discussions are currently taking place with the Scottish Government to decide on the recruitment numbers for the next project, which will aim to support departments in recruiting too hard to fill roles.
Yoma added: “It’s great to be part of a multifaceted team that is working together to support and facilitate in the recruitment of health care workers from overseas to fill our vacancies and hard to fill roles. I look forward to organising the recruitment activities that are required to bring in overseas health care workers and getting to meet them as they arrive in the country to work with us.
There is dedicated support from the nursing, midwifery and allied health professional (NMAHP) practice development centre to support and enable a smooth transition for the nurses to gain registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and provide support in clinical practice.
Practice development practitioners, Rebecca Brew and Alex Gray, are supporting all our international recruits.
