CONNECTOR.AE 40 CONNECTOR.AE 41 Health and Wellness Health and Wellness Day In The Life: Anna Cassandra Clara Nurses help in the smooth operation of a hospital or clinic. Be it from checking up on patients, administering medication, running tests, to monitoring the heart rate and blood pressure. Based on the qualifications of the nurses and their specialities, they help in providing the right care required to all that enter the health facility. Anna Cassandra Clara is an OPD (Out Patient Department) Nurse working at Dubai London Hospital. OPD nurses are responsible for being the primary point of contact between the patient at the hospital and other medical professionals. Dubai London Hospital opened in March 2022 and offers some of the best care in Dubai to all that visit. The hospital is part of Dubai London Clinic and Speciality Hospital, which has been providing medical care to patients for over 35 years. Having developed health issues as a child, nurse Anna Cassandra Clara found her calling in the medical field, as she wanted to take care and support the patients that visit hospitals. Anna Cassandra Clara is currently working in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department, which caters to pregnancy, the overall wellbeing of women and prenatal care. In this feature, Anna Cassandra Clara shares her journey as a nurse with Connector, from the hardest case she has had to work on to her future plans in the medical field. How does the day begin before heading into work? I try my best to get up early to give myself enough time to be with my thoughts, set my positive intentions for the day, and stay on track with my daily prayers. After some quiet time to myself, I feed the dogs and enjoy breakfast with my husband. What was the most difficult case you have had to treat? During the pandemic, we received a patient due for a maternity delivery. Unfortunately, at the same time, her husband had to be admitted to the ICU due to severe COVID-related complications. The mother was also COVID-positive, and throughout the time, the baby was in distress. Fortunately, thanks to the amazing team I was working with at the time, all three members of the family recovered and were healthy. What motivates you to keep coming back to work? What motivates me the most are my lovely doctors and colleagues. I love my team, we do have a lot of challenges, but at the end of the day, we work as one team and a family. How did you find your niche in the medical field? I think that, besides being my passion, nursing has become my niche in life. Being a child born with certain medical necessities, I was often at the hospital growing up, and I kept telling myself that one day, I would be the one taking care of people. My career started in Paediatrics, little did I know that one day I would end up in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. And now, I enjoy my new-found speciality. I love being able to bond and spend more time getting to know my patients and their families. After a busy work day, what do you like to do to unwind? Aside from walking and playing with the dogs, I usually go to yoga classes. I either teach the class, as I am a certified yoga Instructor or attend someone else’s class. If time permits, I squeeze in a bit of running as well. What are some of your dreams and aspirations with your career? One of my dreams is to work my way up the professional ladder and become a Nurse Practitioner. I also aspire to become a better employee, learn new skills, become an advocate, find more mentors, and start volunteering in community centres or organisations focused on maternity and child care.
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