Nurse Interviewer Wendy Beagle (right) with Megan Skingle from the MSI Compliance team

At MSI all of our nurses are interviewed by a senior nurse before they are able to work through us, in order to assess their experience and suitability. Wendy Beagles is one of our interviewers; she’s had a rich and varied career in the NHS spanning the last 40 years. We caught up with her on one of our recent interview days to find out more about her experience, role with MSI and top tips for candidates…

Wendy, can you tell us a little about your nursing background?

I registered as a nurse in 1979 and spent the early part of my career working on different wards including Urology, Gynaecology, Accident & Emergency and Surgical. I also have worked in specialist clinics including a Family Planning clinic where I managed an outreach programme to vulnerable teenagers.

After building up my experience across the NHS I specialised in midwifery, which I still work in at present. I am a scrub midwife and have been involved with almost all aspects of midwifery from managing high dependency & intensive care units to facilitating normalised births in high risks pregnancy.

I have spoken publicly at training events and conferences about the use of Sterile Water Injections for pain relief in labour and am incredibly proud to have won a national award recognising my work from the Royal College of Midwifery.

Although I haven’t worked as specialist mental health nurse, I have a personal connection to Mental Health services as I’m an advocate for a close family member and am fully aware of the importance of best practise within Mental Health services.

What does your role for MSI comprise of?

I work for MSI on an ad-hoc basis, interviewing candidates to find out more about their experience and clinical knowledge, either face-to-face or over Skype. The purpose of these interviews is to assess their suitability to work with MSI.

Before placing any nurses the team at MSI want to be confident that they are placing a high quality candidate who will provide the utmost standard of care to patients.

What do you enjoy most about your role with MSI?

I love meeting candidates and finding out about their experience and motivations as a healthcare professional. The role of an interviewer is varied and affords me a great deal of flexibility which I really love.

What do you look for in potential candidates?

When I’m speaking to candidates I’m looking for them to demonstrate a working knowledge and experience of the 6 C’s of nursing; care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment.

Correctly calculating drug dosage is another area high on my list of things to look out for. This needs to be 100% accurate so that I’m confident that the nurse in question will be able to calculate the correct dosage under pressure whilst working on a ward.

What advice would you give for nurses preparing for their interview with you?

• Be professional and dress smart, remember that it is still an interview even when it’s taking place over Skype.
• Be prepared; schedule the interview for a time when you are awake, alert and in suitable surroundings with a good internet connection. If a candidate has scheduled the interview whilst they are on their break at work they are rushed, not focused on the interview and often, have a poor internet connection.
• Make sure you know your stuff, practise drug calculations, have your ID to hand and any other documents that MSI have asked for you to have.

If before your interview you’re not sure what you might need, get in touch with your compliance officer who will be happy to take you through the process.

What are your top tips for being a successful Temporary Nurse?

I would advise all nurses to arrive before their start time so they arrive at the ward in plenty of time. Again professionalism is key, dress appropriately and always be prepared to help with anything that’s asked of you - with enthusiasm!

Remember to get enough rest between shifts and don’t overbook yourself with different agencies onto lots of shifts. It’s important you rest between shifts and on your days off.