Ross seamlessly balances his Nursing career with regular gruelling CrossFit workouts and fishing trips to unwind. Find out more about Ross and his career to date.
How many years have you been nursing?
I’ve been qualified for nearly 19 years. Prior to starting my Nursing degree I attended Glasgow University for an Economics degree for one year before switching.
How long have you been working in care homes?
I’ve been working in care homes for the last 10 years.
What specialties did you work in before moving to care homes?
Prior to that I worked with the NHS in the Acute sector. I worked in the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery for six years in a specialist ward. I’ve worked in a colorectal surgical ward, Medical wards, A&E departments
Have you always worked in the same location?
I’ve spent a total of seven years working in London. I’ve also worked at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham for a couple of years.
Where did you work during your time in London?
Both hospitals that I worked in were in Central London. Whilst there I lived in hospital accommodation so that I could live in the heart of the city. I worked in Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital which overlooks the Houses of Parliament and then The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery was just off Oxford Street, within walking distance of Soho and Leicester Square.
How long have you worked with an agency?
Probably around 10 years on and off since returning to Scotland. There was a recruitment freeze in the NHS due to the Financial crisis so that’s how I ended up doing agency work. I’ve had some stints in permanent jobs during that period, but I’ve always returned to agency.
A few years back I had a complete career change and spent six months working in an office 9 to 5 in Glasgow.
What brought you back to nursing?
I found working in an office pretty boring. I couldn’t get used to working 9 to 5 Monday to Friday with just two days off. My days became very repetitive and prescriptive compared to running a home as a Registered Nurse. The pay was good, and I found that people respected you more as an office worker versus a nurse, but it was boring and I missed nursing.
Even after twenty years of doing this job I still get something out of providing good care. There’s something rewarding about that.
How long have you worked with RMR?
It’s coming up for three years. It’s a good agency that can get me work when I want it. The staff are friendly and polite which is quite important.
That’s the issue with some agencies, they start off good, work towards your needs. Then for some reason or another the standards drop, people get replaced and your experience drifts downhill.
With 10 years’ agency experience, what advice would you give to someone thinking of joining RMR?
You need to have a degree of flexibility. And that flexibility must be a two-way thing. An agency needs to allow you to be flexible while you need to be open-minded to being flexible. If you want to get the shifts that you want consistently then it helps to be flexible.
How do you like to spend your time when you’re not at work?
The key reason why I’m with an agency is because I like the flexibility. I work to live, not live to work. I only work part-time most of the year so that I can maintain my interests.
I really like to keep fit and doing CrossFit seriously for the past two years. At some point over the next year I’m looking to compete at a CrossFit Open trial. I was recently up in the Highlands boating and fishing on Loch Inver.
I regularly go to visit family in Aberdeen, where I’m originally from. I have four nephews up there, so I go and stay with them. I always keep myself busy
Where would we find you at an RMR staff party?
I’d probably be eating the buffet, chatting to people, and getting up on the dance floor. But it would have to be a specific type of music to get me up dancing.
