Meet Cherylyn, theatre team leader

11 May 2016

Having trained as a nurse in the Philippines, junior sister Cherylyn Pangaibat Lingad (pictured on the right with her team) has been working for the NHS in the UK for the past 11 years.

Cherylyn now works as a theatre practitioner at the Royal Free Hospital having joined from the liver transplant unit at King’s College Hospital two years ago.

Before going to university she had been considering following her father into accountancy, until her mother and grandmother encouraged her to get into nursing.

“Medicine runs in the family; my sister is a nurse and my brother is a doctor. I’m really glad I got into nursing because helping other people get well is the most important thing you can do.

“Nursing in theatres is very interesting and exciting. We learn skills that make us unique from other specialised areas. As a theatre team leader, I have to make sure that the list runs efficiently and that we are treating all patients in a safe environment.

“You have to be able to think on your feet, as sometimes operations can be cancelled and you have to think quickly to find a patient who can use that space.

“Whichever specialty you are in, being a nurse is all about thinking quickly and solving problems in order to keep the patient safe. It’s important to be able to react when something goes wrong and find a solution.”

Cherylyn said that since moving to London from Swansea two years ago, she has been given the opportunity to work with teams using ground breaking treatments.

“It’s been so interesting working with the vascular team at the Royal Free Hospital. I had assisted with open vascular surgery before, but here we also do endovascular (keyhole) repair. It’s really exciting being part of a team doing something new.

“The career progression at the Royal Free London is also really fast. There are so many opportunities for job advancement; especially in London.”

Image: Cherylyn, right, with her team