Women’s History Month - Jaimie's Story
This month is Women’s History Month which started as a week-long celebration in the 1980s.
It has since evolved into a month-long celebration championing women’s rights as well as the achievements of women throughout history.
This year, the theme for Women’s History Month is ‘Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.’
For International Women’s Day, we spoke to Jaimie, General Manager for Right Care, Croydon Services, which was set up to deliver outstanding care across our community crisis and inpatient services.
Jaimie tells us what inspired her to pursue her current path, and why supporting our sisters might be the first step we need to take to bring about change.
What really got me inspired to take this path was my desire to help people. I always get a real sense of fulfilment when I make a positive impact on patients’ lives. I really enjoy being a nurse and now I am in management, I often miss working on the wards where I learned a lot and had my best experiences.
I’m thankful to say my journey has been a good one. I’ve not experienced any overt sexism in the workplace, but I have experienced some awkward moments such as being spoken over by male colleagues while I am trying to make a point, or being spoken down to – and having my work successes being minimised.
But I’m pleased to say the trust has done a really good job of creating more informal spaces to raise a complaint – should anyone need to.
I’m grateful for the progress I have made in my career – but my proudest moments come in the form of positive feedback from my colleagues and patients. I have worked with some incredible people at the Trust of South London and Maudsley and knowing that they feel the same about me really inspires me to do well. I am also studying for my MBA, so hopefully I will have more good news in the future!
In terms of empowering and supporting other women, I believe we should never publicly condemn, judge or criticise a woman in the workplace. I say, if you have a problem with your sister, speak with them informally. Generally, women are judged much harsher than our counterparts, therefore it is our responsibility to be kinder and softer to each other – and kinder and softer to ourselves.
I am also passionate about employing strategies to foster inclusion and encourage diverse perspectives by upskilling my team and ensuring they can progress up the career ladder. When I was a junior nurse, I heard too many stories of people having their training requests go unnoticed or declined. This led to feelings of discouragement and exclusion. Therefore, I make a conscious effort to speak to all members of my team about their goals and discuss any opportunities.
But we still have a very long way to go. There was a viral quote that said: ‘Women are supposed to work like they don’t have children, and mother like they don’t work outside of the home’. I work with mothers, I mange mothers and have friends that are new mothers - and they tell me how hard it is to juggle the two worlds. It is heart-breaking. We have so much to do to ensure that mothers in the trust are visible and supported.
For any younger women who are entering my field, I would tell them to learn their craft. If they are good at what they do first and foremost, then this will see them through any challenges. With that, their confidence will grow – so they need to remember to be bold. We never know how many people are quietly rooting for us when we stand up for ourselves.
