60 seconds with Maravic Laureta
Meet Maravic, she's a scub nurse at The Royal London Hospital and will be one of the stars of next week's Operation Live series airing on Channel 5 from 9 - 11 April.
What is your role and how long have you worked at Barts Health?
I am senior charge nurse in Main Theatres Neurosurgery. I was one of the first batch of overseas nurses employed by Barts Health in 2000 and have worked here in Main Theatres for more than 18 years.
Have you always worked on neurosurgeries?
I was a scrub nurse for five years in the Philippines before arriving here in the UK.
Before I became charge nurse in neurosurgery, I was one of the charge nurses in trauma and emergency theatres on permanent nightshift from 2002 to 2014, looking after major traumas and all emergency neurosurgeries including clipping of aneurysm.
What do you love about being a scrub nurse?
Working with an incredible multidisciplinary team; the teamwork. The team supports and respect each role we play in every patient perioperative journey.
What is the most rewarding part of your role?
As scrub nurses we are not only there to assist surgeons during surgery but we are there to ensure that the patient is safe and receives a highest standard of care and dignity during surgery. We are the patient’s advocate while they are under anaesthesia and not aware of their environment. Being part of a successful operation is very rewarding.
What is the most challenging part?
Working in a major trauma centre, we always face challenges. Sometimes the job of scrub nurse is draining and exhausting with long hours of surgery, dealing with different people with their own way of doing things , but as I said being part of an incredible patient perioperative journey is fulfilling and rewarding.
What advice would you give to those hoping to become a senior scrub nurse?
Aside from being caring to the core, you need to have the ability to work under pressure and be flexible and have the ability to adopt to changes, remain focused and most importantly be a team player.
Approach and deal with any challenges with a appositive attitude.