Rawan Kassab, Yara Kassab, Fayzeh Rachid, Rami Mansour, and Al Qanawan pictured above​​​​

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​A newly qualified student recalls back to her journey from living in a refugee camp alongside 10,000 others to finally fulfilling her dreams of becoming an NHS nurse in the UK.

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Fayzeh Rachid, a 22-year-old graduated nursing student, is one of five from Lebanon of Palestinian heritage to receive her UK international recruitment scheme offer under North West London NHS Trust.

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Beginning her career path in her home country studying medicine despite the issues surrounding and breaking out around her, Fayzeh earned a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing Science at Lebanese University in October of 2020.

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After receiving her qualifications, she was accepted into the program as a way of increasing nursing numbers from abroad to help across the UK in the NHS with employment gaps.

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When living in her home country, the NHS nurse described her struggles as she could not obtain a job in her field even despite being trained to do so. She said "I applied to jobs at hospitals at home but got rejected because of my nationality"

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“I want to prove to my family that they raised me well, and to be an example to other women. I want to be an example for other girls to reach out for their dreams despite a cruel reality.”

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When extending her praise to the NHS, she added "A big thank you to the NHS for letting me be part of this family."

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Fayzeh is set to start her training to become an official NHS nurse at St Pancras Hospital in London alongside Rami Mansour and a set of five other refugees.

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​The nursing students at the Central and North West London Trust program, pictured above

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21-year-old Yara, similar to Fayzeh, was from a refugee camp in Lebanon, witnessing fighting with military-grade weapons including rocket launchers, machine guns, and hand grenades.

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However, she is now working with her twin sister and Fayzeh in the NHS, which she is excited about.

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Continuing, she spoke about the struggles of moving to a new city, saying "Adjusting to a completely new culture will be very difficult but we are lucky to have each other,"

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"Our grandmother was taken away during the civil war and no one helped our mum to find her because of her nationality.

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"And then our Mum had children growing up in an unsafe country. This is a new phase for our family.

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"So our thank you today is not just from us, but from our mother."

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You can read more about the support funding announcement for healthcare professionals to relocate to the UK as a part of filling the NHS employment gaps here: https://www.daywebster.com/blog/2021/10/support-funding-allocated-for-refugees-to-join-the-nhs

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