Aldarico shortlisted for Nursing Times Workforce Award for compassionate support offered to international nurses
A nurse who made a near 7,000 mile trip to the UK to pursue a career in nursing has spoken of his pride at being shortlisted for a national award for the guidance and support he has offered those who have followed in his footsteps.
Aldarico Velasco first came to the UK four years ago as an internationally educated nurse and has since gone on to become UHDB's first International Nurse Facilitator - during which time he provided professional and pastoral support for more than 200 nurses who came to UHDB to pursue a career in nursing.
His unwavering compassion and desire to make a difference has seen him shortlisted for the Diversity and Inclusion Champion of the Year Award at the 2023 Nursing Times Workforce Awards.
"I feel honoured and so proud, and to be recognised for something that's so close to my heart makes everything really worthwhile for me", Aldarico said, reflecting on the happy news.
Aldarico made the decision to move to the UK in 2019 after leaving his IT job in his hometown of Basiad in the southern Luzon area of the Philippines to pursue a career in nursing and said that it was this lived experience that inspired him to help others following the same path.
Aldarico said: "When I started in the role of International Nurse Facilitator, I felt that it was so personal to me. Being in the role, I had a real appreciation of the challenges those internationally educated colleagues were going through, and that inspired our team to do what we did and to make improvements to help them settle into life in the UK and the NHS as easily as possible."
As part of his role, which was implemented as a result of feedback from previous cohorts of nurses recruited from across the globe, Aldarico and his team played a vital role in providing support for the learning and education of new colleagues, including creating a bespoke induction schedule, as well as offering pastoral support to make the transition to life in Derbyshire as smooth as possible.
Aldarico explained: "Our team looked after our international recruits from the time of their arrival all the way through to them passing their exams and becoming UK registered nurses. The scope of our role was really quite big as it was the first time we'd implemented it as a Trust, so we ensured we put all of the elements in place to make sure they were ready to take the next step."
As a result of the hard work of Aldarico and the team, vast improvements have been seen in the feedback regarding induction and support for international colleagues, with 90% of colleagues stating the induction programme supported them to become more confident and reassured. Furthermore, 92% of those surveyed said they felt prepared to undertake clinical aspects of their role as a result of the support they received. Aldarico and the team have also been invited to speak at regional and national events to share best practice, and it is down to the collective team effort that Aldarico believes he was successful in his role:
"We couldn't have done what we did without the help of the Professional and Practice Development Educators, Recruitment team, Professional Standards team, Senior Leaders, the ward managers, external organisations and so many others who all collaborated to make this happen. It's thanks to their commitment and passion that this has been as successful as it has been, so I'd really like to thank them, too."
During his time as International Nurse Facilitator, Aldarico directly supported around 230 nurses on their journey to the NHS, and still offers support where he can now that he has resumed his role of Digital Nurse Specialist.
He continued: "Now I've handed my old role over to the new Senior Clinical Educator for International Nursing, Lindy, I do still provide ad-hoc support where I can - and I try to use my digital portfolio to help colleagues understand the benefits technology can bring to their role."
Although he hasn't been able to return home since arriving in Derby, news of Aldarico's national recognition has spread around Basiad thanks to his proud mum, who has been sharing the news with everyone in his hometown.
Aldarico said: "My mum was actually a midwife and was the one who inspired me to pursue a career in nursing in the first place - and she's really proud and is telling everyone about it. It's a little bit embarrassing actually!
"Being recognised in this way is really amazing, and I just hope that it inspires others to make further improvements in supporting international colleagues. Lots of other trusts are already doing so, so I'd like to think we’ve been a small part of the magic that's made that happen."
Aldarico will find out if he has been chosen as the winner at the Nursing Times Workforce Summit and Awards will take place on Tuesday 21 November at the Hilton London Metropole hotel.