A salesman who gave up his time to volunteer in an NHS Lothian hospital during the height of the pandemic has turned his back on his old career to become a nurse.
Alexis Woods, 42, was so inspired by the difference he was able to make to the lives of patients that he has swapped his job in sales for a new career in hospital wards.
Now Alexis is working in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh as a clinical support worker while studying at university to become a registered nurse.
He said: “I’ve been inspired by everyone at the NHS, from the Charge Nurses to the domestic staff. In my eyes, the NHS is one big family and everyone tries their best for the patients.
“The best thing about my job is when you see a patient turnaround from being gravely ill to walking out of the ward – it never fails to put a smile on my face. I can’t wait to be a full-time Nurse; I feel like I’m getting a big hug when I walk onto the wards and all the staff make my shifts so pleasant.”
Big-hearted Alexis, who is originally from Reading, England, moved to Edinburgh in 2008, and had worked in sales for over ten years when the pandemic began.
At the time, he was going through a divorce and began suffering with chronic depression.
Although he was initially frightened by the effects of the virus, he saw an advert calling for volunteers to work in NHS Lothian and decided to take the selfless step to become a volunteer at the RIE.
Alexis added: “Volunteering for NHS Lothian during the pandemic really helped me with my mental health. I think doing things to assist other people kept me focused and almost mitigated my own problems. Volunteering really gave me a purpose in life again.
“When I first started volunteering, making cups of tea was the first thing I was allowed to do. Tea really symbolises a lot for me as I think handing someone a hot drink really signifies making a connection with someone and that you’re open to talking to them.
“I was then entrusted with directing people to wards and then handing out jugs of water and menus to patients. I would also walk with people to the ICU who might want to talk and connect when they were feeling distressed and anxious.”
Alexis clocked up a total of 500 hours volunteering over the course of eight months at the RIE.
He was so inspired by his experience and his colleagues that he quit his sales job to become a Clinical Support worker, before he could begin studying to become a nurse at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.
He said: “I knew I desperately wanted to become a nurse, but I didn’t have the right qualifications, so I studied anatomy and physiology in my free time until I was accepted into university.
“This is a new chapter for me and I am excited for the future.”
Currently NHS Lothian volunteers are involved in approximately 25 different roles including Ward Helper, Befrienders, Carer Relief Companions, Drivers and more. Many volunteers also go on to work for the NHS in fields such as Nursing, HR and Phlebotomy.
Pat Wynne, Interim Nurse Director, NHS Lothian, said: “We are grateful to so many people who gave up their time to volunteer in such a variety of ways when the NHS needed them most.
“People like Alexis helped make a real difference to the lives of patients, visitors and staff during some of the most uncertain times.
“We are really pleased to have inspired Alexis to begin a new career as a nurse and we are delighted to have him as part of our team.”
To find out more about becoming an NHS volunteer, please visit the website here.
