Meet Damien, Registered Nurse at Dearnevale

Damien works as a Registered Nurse at Dearnevale in Barnsley. He loves the variety of working in a complex care service, always learning new skills to stay at the 'top of his game'. 

From the first moment I walked through the door at Dearnevale, I knew it was the place I wanted to be. 

And 16 years later, I still love it! 

We've built a community here. You feel part of a team. 

In other nursing roles, you might specialise or branch out into a specific area of nursing.

But here, you support people with a range of conditions and illnesses, so you've got to be at the top of your game, no matter what you're doing. 

This variety gives you so many opportunities to learn. Sometimes, I come across people with illnesses I've never heard of, which means you're always learning new things. 

What I love about the role is that you can be independent and autonomous as the Nurse in charge on your unit. However, there are other Nurses in the building that you can lean on for support, so you never feel on your own. 

My favourite thing about working in complex care is helping people to overcome their day to day challenges. It might be a very small thing, but to them it's huge.