Hi,

My name is Lauren Crump. For those of you that don’t know me, I am one of the Nurse Care Managers here at The Royal Star & Garter Home, Richmond. I thought I would start this entry by telling you a little about myself.

I started my nursing journey back in 2001. I was working in a busy high street shop on the weekends while studying at College. I didn’t particularly enjoy shop work, sorting through and hanging endless blouses and jumpers just wasn’t for me. However, I did enjoy some aspects of the job, such as talking to the different people that I met everyday and helping them find what they were looking for. It was mentioned by a colleague, partly as joke, that I should consider nursing as a career as I seemed to really enjoy spending time with people. Initially I shrugged this suggestion off, and continued to focus on my plans of a career in Interior Design. Once I completed my A levels in Fine Art and Art History I had a change of heart. Interior Design suddenly seemed not quite right for me, and I decided that my colleague’s jovial comment may actually have been a good idea and my true passion could be nursing. I decided against University and applied for a post as a local community carer. I thought this would serve as a good test to see if I had the makings of a future nurse. I quickly found that I loved that job; it was varied, I was meeting lots of people who I was making a difference to by helping them with the things I had taken for granted so many times before. After nearly 2 years in this post I felt ready to apply to a local University to study for my Registered Nurse qualification. After 3 years of hard work I obtained my RGN qualification. Receiving my qualification was my proudest moment. It meant everything to me to become a Registered Nurse.

While studying, I was fortunate to have a working placement here within The Royal Star & Garter Home, Richmond. I really enjoyed my time here as a student and hold those memories in high regard. After qualifying, I spent almost 5 years working as a Staff Nurse on a busy surgical trauma ward within a local hospital where I gained valuable nursing experience and made many friends. However, in the summer of 2011, I decided that I would like a change of direction. As well as working for the NHS I was also working for a nursing agency and luckily for me, I was offered shifts here within the Home. I enjoyed those shifts and as time went on I began to get to know the residents better and recognised that I might like to have a future nursing within The Charity. I was given the chance to apply for a Deputy Nurse Care Manager post. Happily I can say I was successful and was offered the post. After almost a year I was given the opportunity to further my career with the position of Nurse Care Manager.

The next year at The Royal Star & Garter Home Richmond, looks to be very exciting; it will be a year full of positive change and promise. I personally feel very privileged to be part of the Charity and look forward to its very bright future.

Lauren,

Nurse Care Manager