Filipino nurses Sheena Bascon and Aaron Enriquez, who moved to Bristol together, have broken new ground by becoming the first on Sirona care & health’s international recruitment programme to qualify in the UK.
Sheena and Aaron arrived in July 2022 as Sirona’s first international recruits, settling together in south Bristol. Since then, they worked hard to pass their Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and have consequently achieved their PIN qualification.
The qualification registers them with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, meaning they are now fully registered nurses able to practise in the UK. They are already hard at work at Sirona’s South Bristol Rehabilitation Unit.
Su Monk, Sirona’s programme director for clinical workforce and professional standards, said: “Aaron and Sheena have worked tremendously hard to achieve their registration, and their graduation is fully deserved. Our international nurse programme is off to a fantastic start and our next cohort of recruits are already well on their way to achieving their registration.”
“Aaron and Sheena have already brought so much to the team here at South Bristol Rehabilitation Unit, and we can’t wait to see them and our future recruits flourish across Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire.”
Sheena said: “We’re happy. Aaron has been a great support – I can’t imagine doing it without him.”
“We want to really get to know the healthcare system, and we’re looking forward to taking on new training, new courses, and hopefully gaining promotions in years to come.”
Aaron said: “We’re more confident now. We received a lot of support from Sirona’s support team, and the team at the unit. We’re really grateful for how we have been supported. The accommodation, the transport, even with our groceries, they made sure we were settling in well.
“Anyone thinking of doing this: be brave, go for it. We’re really glad we did it.”
