Healthcare Assistant Kelly Marie Anthony has not only scooped a 2012 City & Guilds’ Medal for Excellence, she was also selected by the Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers to attend their glittering celebration event in London for honouring outstanding examples of how life changing City & Guilds qualifications can be.
Kelly-Marie took a career change in 2009 by joining Medical Ward 6 at the Princess Royal University Hospital Bromley as a healthcare assistant. Having gained confidence and experience she was ready to aim higher, and enrolled for the NVQ in health. It came around when she was already six months’ pregnant but assured her assessor, Debbie Stewart, that she was determined to proceed with the programme.
A month later, Kelly-Marie’s husband was diagnosed with skin cancer. While caring for him and her daughter, she persevered, insisting that the NVQ was her positive focus.
“Despite all this,” says Debbie, “Kelly’s work was consistently of a high standard, maintaining an excellent professional manner, remaining kind and respectful to patients, and supporting them through all aspects of their care.”
Now that she has successfully completed her NVQ, Kelly is on track to start Nurse Training Secondment in May and she is delighted. “This is what I really want to do. I love my job and my training has given me such a fantastic start. I know how things should be done because I’ve been shown how and received the best support from Debbie and my brilliant colleagues on the ward.”
It is little wonder that Debbie wished to nominate Kelly for the City & Guilds Medal for Excellence. “Her potential to succeed and to be a top class nurse was evident from the start.”
Kelly-Marie insists that her success is largely due to the tremendous support she has received from Debbie and the Med 6 ward staff.
Anthony Thompson, Ward Manager says “Kelly has been a true inspiration to the team, managing to diligently complete her course work despite pressing personal circumstances. She has shown that hard work and dedication will always reap success. Whole hearted congratulations to her from the entire team on Medical 6.”