A Home Manager at HC-One Scotland’s Drummohr Care Home in Wallyford, Musselburgh, East Lothian, has shared her remarkable personal nursing career journey to encourage others to consider a nursing career in the social care sector to mark International Nurses’ Day on May 12, 2025.
International Nurses’ Day is an annual event which honours the invaluable contribution of Nurses across the world and coincides with the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
The theme for this year’s International Nurses’ Day is ‘Our Nurses. Our future. Caring for Nurses strengthens economies’ which emphasises the critical role Nurses play not only in healthcare but also in the broader economic wellbeing of societies. It highlights the importance of investing in the nursing workforce to ensure resilient health systems and sustainable development.
Before joining the Nursing profession, Priscillah Musenga, aged 56, from Zambia in Central Africa, initially followed her parents' wishes to study banking at the School of Chartered Accountancy. Two weeks in, she pivoted to pursue her true calling as a General Registered Nurse.
Priscillah pursued a career in Health and Social Care sector to make a difference to people’s lives. She saw Adult Social care as a way to unlock her potential, share experiences and create opportunities for the overlooked.
Priscillah began as a Civil Servant in Zambia, training as a General Registered Nurse and working across departments such as general medicine, surgery, paediatrics and obstetrics. After completing midwifery and neonatal nursing, Priscillah became a Nursing Matron at 27, managing eight wards, including antenatal and postnatal. The Ministry of Health honoured her as an ‘Emerging Hard Working Young Matron’.
Priscillah moved to New Zealand to study Neonatal Nursing, aspiring to become an International Nurse. After marrying and starting a family, she chose not to pursue that path, prioritising stability for her young children’s schooling.
Priscillah went on to move to the UK in June 2005 at the age of 36 and received her British Citizenship in 2016, completing her practical pre-registration overseas programme at a Jewish care home in Bushey. She found working in a culturally rich Jewish community enlightening, appreciating their unique, cultural-centred approach to care.
Priscillah moved to her next role, with a different care provider, advancing from Charge Nurse to Senior Clinical Lead. Priscillah found working in Health and Social care in the UK different from working in hospital settings as working in a hospital involves focusing on emergency medical nursing care. Priscillah found working in a hospital setting that she was exposed to working collaboratively with other Health care professionals and there was more exposure to immediate medical and surgical specialists and advanced nursing clinical skills.
Priscillah then found her calling working in social care and enjoys building strong relationships with residents and their families, providing holistic and person-centred care, and fostering a sense of community.
In 2005, Priscillahs selection for the ‘Launch of Promoting Excellence in Care at Chambers Street’ inspired her to earn master’s degree in Dementia Studies at Stirling University.
She later upgraded her Nursing Diploma to a bachelor’s degree in Adult Nursing at Edinburgh Napier, and she also completed a Student Mentorship there to become a preregistered Nurse mentor.
In 2021, Priscillah earned a Diploma in Leadership and Management from the London College of Professionals to deepen her understanding of Adult Social Care leadership. In February 2022, she joined HC-One Scotland’s Drummohr Care Home as Deputy Manager, later completing her ILM Level 4 and Aspiring Home Managers programme in 2024, leading to her promotion to Home Manager.
Priscillah Musenga, Home Manager at HC-One Scotland’s Drummohr Care Home, commented:
“My experiences have helped me develop my practice including meeting a lot of people in the community where I live. I am actively involved in assessing people’s needs prior to moving to the care home, listening to families as they make the decision to move their loved ones into care, and I enjoy being part of those involved in providing care.
“Building trust as a Nurse, with empathy and receiving feedback about care you have provided is extremely rewarding. You have made a difference in someone’s life and that is an experience that enhances my approach to care and my practice.
“The true measure of my potential is not about the height of the peak I have reached, but how far I have climbed to get to where I am. I would highly recommend a career in adult social care as it is a rewarding experience. Being part of a team of people who make a difference in people’s lives is so important.”
Kelly Smith, Head of Nursing & Practice Development at HC-One, stated:
“International Nurses’ Day is a great moment to reflect on the immense contribution that Nurses make in the social care sector.
“At HC-One we’re always looking at how we can further support our nursing colleagues and provide them with even more opportunities to learn and progress in their careers, encouraging them to reach their full potential be that through apprenticeships, preceptorships or leadership programmes.
“I am extremely proud of what Priscillah and our other nursing colleagues have achieved and of the difference they make to residents’ lives.”