From Law Student To Queen’s Nurse – Home Manager Costin's Career Journey
We're shining the spotlight on our nurses this month and Parris Lawn Home Manager, Costin Matei, has had an eventful journey so far. Last year, Costin was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Nurse Award - a tremendous achievement and testament to his commitment to nursing since his career began in Romania a decade ago.
A Calling Becomes a Career, Built in Romania
Costin describes nursing as his calling, but revealed that it was the experiences shared by a cousin working in the profession that first drew him in. Initially, he was attracted to law, especially civil law, so after finishing high school Costin enrolled to study law at Dimitrie Cantemir University in Bucharest. While he was studying, he often met his cousin who had started a job as a nurse. She told inspiring stories about her job and how she was helping others in need – so convincingly, in fact, that after much thought, Costin changed his career path and having completed a year of law, switched to study nursing.
Costin trained in hospitals, learning and improving his skills in different wards covering a variety of health conditions. The early years of rigorous training and hands-on clinical experience gave him a strong foundation for his career and he knew he’d made the right decision to commit to nursing. He worked hard, progressed and built a good career in Romania. At the same time, Costin felt he was too young to be so comfortable in his role and decided that the challenge of living and working in a country where he didn’t know anybody would be an interesting step to take.
Nursing in Care – the First UK Challenge
In 2015, Costin moved to the UK and took up his first role as a registered nurse in a care home in West Sussex. While the techniques in nursing were pretty similar to those in Romania, Costin had to adapt and learn UK legislation. The move was also a challenge more generally as Costin had to adapt to many other things, including the culture and the weather, but he enjoyed every moment. Within weeks he formed new friendships, some of which are longstanding to this day.
In 2020, Costin joined Parris Lawn as Deputy Manager. Caring for the elderly had always been a passion and his experience meant he had the insight and knowledge to understand the unique needs of the residents. Costin was also a keen advocate of the approach at Parris Lawn to providing holistic, person-centred care which involves focusing on emotional, social, and mental health alongside addressing the physical wellbeing of each individual.
The Queen’s Nurse Award
One of the proudest moments of Costin’s career was being awarded the prestigious Queen's Nurse Award on 21st August 2024, having been nominated in March by Julie Taylor, Caring Homes’ Lead Clinical Support Manager.
The award is inspired by the Queen’s Jubilee Institute of Nursing, founded in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. From that point on, Queen’s Nursing Institutes across the UK trained district nurses until the 1960s. Queen’s Nurses were effectively the first registered nurses in the UK. Today, the Queen’s Nurse Award symbolises excellence and a Queen’s Nurse is someone committed to the highest standards of practice and person-centred care. There is an expectation that Queen’s Nurses will always act as ambassadors for the role as the title is awarded for life.
An Honour and a Motivating Force
Being recognised was a highlight in Costin’s career, especially as it came in the year that he was promoted to Home Manager at Parris Lawn. He explained,
“I am honoured to carry the Queen’s Nurse title. It gives me extra motivation as I seek to improve, innovate and discover new ways of enriching the lives of our Parris Lawn residents. Respecting the dignity and individuality of each individual is at the heart of everything we do and I’m proud that this approach is shared by the whole team at Parris Lawn”.
