Stories from the frontline: Daniela Florescu-Serban

18 March 2021 - Daniela, a specialist dental nurse at Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup, talks about her redeployment

“My name is Daniela, a specialist dental nurse at Queen Mary’s Hospital Sidcup in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine, Orthodontics and Restorative Dentistry.

“My goal has always been to help people and do something good. There is no better feeling than knowing you have helped make someone feel better. When the Trust asked for help, I put myself forward and was then redeployed to Marjory Warren Ward at King’s College Hospital.

“My first day reminded me of how I felt as a first-year student. I was entering a new environment, with a new team and a new speciality. On one hand, I was excited to be learning new skills and being able to help during the pandemic. On the other hand, I was nervous about what was to come and the new challenges I was about to face.

“Yes, it is tiring, I see tragic things every day, and it is emotionally draining because COVID-19 is such a damaging illness. We are a caring profession and that is all about caring for each other as well as the patients.

“After nine weeks of redeployment so far, I really felt like I became part of the team. It has been a great experience and I feel that I have developed not only my skills but also my understanding of how other parts of our Trust works. I will be a more confident specialist dental nurse after this. It provided me with an insight into areas of care I had never experienced before.

“I’ll be sad to leave; I’ve really enjoyed it here. I’d like to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone in Marjory Warren Ward for accepting me into the team, they’ve all been absolutely amazing.”