Olivia Rainbow – Ward Manager at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

Young high flyer moves up the nursing career ladder in Kent

Kent born Olivia Rainbow was inspired to be a nurse by her family. Her mum is a midwife, and her dad also has a job that includes shift work, so as a child, she was used to her parents not working a normal 9 to 5 schedule.

Olivia says she was never destined to work in an office and was always attracted to nursing because of her Mum.

She says, “I love how varied nursing is and you get to meet and work with so many different people. There are also huge opportunities for career advancement in nursing, which really appealed to me.”

Olivia graduated in 2016 with an adult nursing degree from Keele University in Staffordshire and after university, Olivia and her boyfriend decided to relocate to Leeds.

Olivia got her first nursing post in the A&E department at St James’ University Hospital in Leeds, where she spent almost three years. During this time, she was promoted and became a Band 6 clinical nurse specialist in anticoagulation.

Oliva decided to move back to Tunbridge Wells and buy a house with her boyfriend and joined Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) as a Band 6 junior sister on a geriatric ward at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in September 2020. A year later she was promoted to Ward Manager, a role which she loves.

As a Ward Manager Olivia’s role involved a mixture of clinical work and supporting junior staff. She is responsible for the management of the ward – leading, motivating and supervising staff to ensure that their time and roles are managed effectively and that patients receive outstanding care.

She says, “No one day is ever the same and each day brings a new challenge. I also love that I am constantly learning and gaining knowledge.  The opportunities for training and development here are fantastic and the Trust fully supports its staff to advance. Also, the matrons I work with are amazing and are always available if I need their guidance which gives me reassurance.”

MTW is committed to the ongoing development its clinical and non-clinical staff, investing in supporting staff on their career development paths. Each hospital site has an Education Centre and there are extensive training opportunities and for nurses to specialise in areas that interest them.

Olivia adds, “MTW has enabled me to climb the career ladder in a relatively short period of time. I’d highly recommend working here and I’m looking forward to advancing my career in a supportive and friendly environment.”

When asked what’s next for this high flyer, Olivia said, “At the moment I’m happy to stay where I am so I’m not sure, however I do have a passion for emergency medicine which is where I started, so potentially that could be my next career move.”