A love for nursing revitalised, for volunteer Liz Findley
A new season in life inspired Liz to explore fresh opportunities – she found unexpected horizons and a whole new perspective on her 45-year career.
Four decades into a varied nursing career that has included paediatrics, neonatal care, vaccination clinics and college lecturing, Liz was looking for a new challenge. With her children grown up and starting their own families, she had more time and freedom to focus on herself – this was her chance to pursue different career paths and experiences.
Liz resolved to put her skills and experience to use in a humanitarian setting, and set the ball rolling with a Diploma in Tropical Nursing at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. She ended her full-time role in a paediatric high-dependency unit, and became a bank nurse at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
“I’ve got so much more flexibility now,” Liz says. “With bank nursing, you can pursue other things and take more time away which is also really helpful for seeing family!”
The journey to Operation Smile
During a posting with another medical charity, Mercy Ships, Liz met a longstanding nursing volunteer from Operation Smile who encouraged her to apply. After some research, it was clear our charity’s values and mission resonated with what Liz was looking for in life. She signed up right away.
Since 2021, Liz has given her time and care on six Operation Smile surgical programmes in Egypt, Morocco, Philippines and Ecuador.
Liz volunteers as a pre- and post-operative nurse, providing the care and support needed by patients and their families before and after surgery.
Beforehand, this will involve everything the patient needs to get ready for surgery, from health screening and weighing, to information about not eating and drinking, and getting them prepared and dressed for surgery on the day.
The value of high-quality care
“It can be terrifying for families,” Liz explains. “They come into quite crowded wards, it’s nerve-wracking, maybe there’s not much privacy. It’s daunting.
“So we get to know them, gently reassure them and talk through everything so they know what to expect.”
A lot of this work with children will involve play too – a vital aspect of psychosocial care that helps improve patients’ whole experience of surgery and healing. Liz always has a magic bag of tricks – bubbles, crayons, rattles – the small things that help the little ones in her care to relax and warm to her presence before the operation.
Liz never tires of the moment when a new smile is revealed. For older children and adults, it’s a heartwarming mix of surprise and excitement as they see their smile – and the end of past struggles.
For the parents of babies, it can bring up complex feelings as deeper bonding begins to feel possible, especially in cultures where there’s stigma around children with cleft conditions.
“The operation is only the beginning”
Following life-changing cleft surgery, post-operative care is about keeping patients relaxed and pain free. Nurses monitor vital signs and intravenous fluids, and regularly check their patient’s mouth and lips for signs of bleeding or infection.
They also take the time to show parents how to provide ongoing care for their child and their new smile, such as cleaning surgical wounds, applying ointments and giving medicine. With time and thought, it can give nervous parents a huge confidence boost.
That’s the biggest thing. The operation is only the beginning. Ongoing care will give their child a much reduced risk of infection or problems down the line. We support families to give them the best chance of good recovery and good healing. That kind of nurturing work takes time and patience – I think that’s what I enjoy most.
Liz Findley, volunteer nurse
“Volunteering enriches you – I see a whole different world of nursing”
Liz finds her own support from family too, through her husband and three adult children’s encouragement. They’re proud of her volunteering and the new worlds it’s opened up.
“My son says, ‘I always tell everybody where you are and what you’re doing, Mum!’” she smiles.
For Liz there’s also a deep personal reward that’s reigniting her passion for a career she began 45 years ago when, inspired to leave her office job to pursue nursing, she never looked back.
“Volunteering enriches you,” Liz explains. “I’ve spent decades in NHS hospitals and yes, sometimes it is quite wearing. But then I volunteer I see a whole different world of nursing: people who can’t afford or access surgery, and how much it will change their lives.
“I come back to the UK and think, gosh, we have got so much here. It literally revitalises your love of nursing.”
A Philippines first
Liz has just returned from her first Philippines volunteering post, at Operation Smile’s Centre of Excellence in Cebu. Here, safe surgery and comprehensive cleft care are all delivered under one roof.
It was a marked shift from the busy pace and more basic facilities Liz had experienced on other Operation Smile surgical programmes in non-specialist hospitals.
“The centre is incredible,” she tells us. “You’ve got all the specialisms – dentistry, dietitians, everything in one place, which is really beneficial.
“It was a slower pace, but that gives you more time to get to know the families and children. And it was amazing to see the difference it’s making to people from Cebu and the surrounding islands.”
Liz will be adding to her growing Facebook family of Operation Smile friends from around the world, who stay in touch long after their time volunteering together.
“The staff in the Philippines were amazing, so friendly,” she says. “And everywhere I’ve volunteered, I’ve made new friends.
“It’s enlightening too, getting to know everyone’s cultures and backgrounds. I can’t wait to see what’s next.”