MIRIAM WALLER
Thankfully, Ms Dunn paid no heed and decided to train in Jersey in the Channel Islands, an experience she enjoyed, before moving to the north east of England, where she has spent most of her working life. Born in Trinidad, Ms Dunn came to the UK when she was just five years old, part of the wave of African Caribbean migration that started post-war.
Breaking through
Ethnicity no barrier to career heights
Estephanie Dunn’s promotion to regional director is a first for BME women, writes Jennifer Trueland
SUMMARY
When she was growing up, Estephanie Dunn’s parents taught her that she could be anything she wanted to be – as long as she acted with integrity. Perhaps that is one of the factors that drew her into a nursing career that has ranged from general nursing and health visiting to education and management. Her roles in the past three decades have included lecturer practitioner in child health, general manager for an adult learning disability service and director of nursing in the The newly appointed regional director for the RCN in the North West region of England, Estephanie Dunn, will provide support to nursing directors in trusts on special measures. She hopes employers will support BME nurses with leadership potential to ‘navigate the system’. Author Jennifer Trueland is a freelance journalist
former South Tyneside Primary Care Trust. In August, she became regional director for the RCN North West region. Ms Dunn is believed to be the first woman of black and minority ethnic (BME) heritage to hold a regional director position with the organisation. Most recently, she was operational manager for the RCN Northern region. It has been a remarkably varied and successful career – which almost didn’t happen. ‘I was just 17 and my friend and I went from London to Grantham for an interview for a nurse training course,’ she recalls. ‘It started badly – we had been told to bring our parents, but when we got there we were criticised for that. The interviewers didn’t think we were serious – one said she didn’t think I’d ever make a nurse.’
As a senior nurse from a BME background she has found herself a relative rarity, particularly as she moved up. ‘In Jersey I was one of two BME nurses,’ she laughs. ‘And in the NHS in the north east, BME faces were few and far between, and were primarily medical.’ She has never felt that her ethnicity was a barrier to getting jobs she wanted, but recognises that there is a disparity in the number of BME nurses who are appointed to senior roles. ‘It’s not that there’s a lack of ability [in BME nurses]; it’s about lack of opportunity,’ she says. Organisations tend to promote “people like us”, and if you know how to navigate the system and find the right people to talk to, then you’re more likely to be successful. Some BME nurses need support to do that.’ She relishes the challenge of her new job. ‘It’s a big job in a big region,’ she says. ‘Many trusts are struggling – they are either in special measures or just coming out of special measures, and there are issues with resources and recruitment. I’m looking forward to developing relationships with directors of nursing to see how the RCN can support them.’ One of the issues around recruitment is that once again the NHS is looking abroad to fill posts. Ms Dunn wants action to ensure that the lessons of the Windrush generation are learned. ‘I hope employers will be fair in promoting opportunities to everyone, and invest in BME nurses,’ she says NS
NURSING STANDARD october 1 :: vol 29 no 5 :: 2014 23 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 22, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Thankfully, Ms Dunn paid no heed and decided to train in Jersey in the Channel Islands, an experience she enjoyed, before moving to the north east of England, where she has spent most of her working life. Born in Trinidad, Ms Dunn came to the UK when she was just five years old, part of the wave of African Caribbean migration that started post-war.
Breaking through
Ethnicity no barrier to career heights
Estephanie Dunn’s promotion to regional director is a first for BME women, writes Jennifer Trueland
SUMMARY
When she was growing up, Estephanie Dunn’s parents taught her that she could be anything she wanted to be – as long as she acted with integrity. Perhaps that is one of the factors that drew her into a nursing career that has ranged from general nursing and health visiting to education and management. Her roles in the past three decades have included lecturer practitioner in child health, general manager for an adult learning disability service and director of nursing in the The newly appointed regional director for the RCN in the North West region of England, Estephanie Dunn, will provide support to nursing directors in trusts on special measures. She hopes employers will support BME nurses with leadership potential to ‘navigate the system’. Author Jennifer Trueland is a freelance journalist
former South Tyneside Primary Care Trust. In August, she became regional director for the RCN North West region. Ms Dunn is believed to be the first woman of black and minority ethnic (BME) heritage to hold a regional director position with the organisation. Most recently, she was operational manager for the RCN Northern region. It has been a remarkably varied and successful career – which almost didn’t happen. ‘I was just 17 and my friend and I went from London to Grantham for an interview for a nurse training course,’ she recalls. ‘It started badly – we had been told to bring our parents, but when we got there we were criticised for that. The interviewers didn’t think we were serious – one said she didn’t think I’d ever make a nurse.’
As a senior nurse from a BME background she has found herself a relative rarity, particularly as she moved up. ‘In Jersey I was one of two BME nurses,’ she laughs. ‘And in the NHS in the north east, BME faces were few and far between, and were primarily medical.’ She has never felt that her ethnicity was a barrier to getting jobs she wanted, but recognises that there is a disparity in the number of BME nurses who are appointed to senior roles. ‘It’s not that there’s a lack of ability [in BME nurses]; it’s about lack of opportunity,’ she says. Organisations tend to promote “people like us”, and if you know how to navigate the system and find the right people to talk to, then you’re more likely to be successful. Some BME nurses need support to do that.’ She relishes the challenge of her new job. ‘It’s a big job in a big region,’ she says. ‘Many trusts are struggling – they are either in special measures or just coming out of special measures, and there are issues with resources and recruitment. I’m looking forward to developing relationships with directors of nursing to see how the RCN can support them.’ One of the issues around recruitment is that once again the NHS is looking abroad to fill posts. Ms Dunn wants action to ensure that the lessons of the Windrush generation are learned. ‘I hope employers will be fair in promoting opportunities to everyone, and invest in BME nurses,’ she says NS
NURSING STANDARD october 1 :: vol 29 no 5 :: 2014 23 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 22, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
