From A&E To Travel Health: Khristine Bautista On Her Nursing Career With Zurich Cover-More

Do You Work Hybrid at Zurich Cover-More?

Yes, I do. We work hybrid, all of us. It’s 50% work from home, 50% from the office, but they’re quite flexible actually. As long as you let your team leaders know, they’re quite flexible.

There are some colleagues that live quite far, so sometimes they have to travel three hours. So sometimes they’re not always there.

Did That Flexibility Attract You To The Role?

Yes, it did. I was always working hybrid anyway before this, so I wanted to keep it that way.

Because I now have two kids and it works in terms of school pickups and drop-offs and child minders. It fits in nicely with my life.

What Does A Typical Day Look Like?

So you sign in and you’re on queue, so that means you can get calls at any time.

As a medical case manager, I take on medical cases. A call could start from an initial medical assessment where you do a triage. You ask them what’s going on, if it’s an accident or an illness, when the symptoms started or when the accident occurred.

They’re away from home—either on holiday, leisure or business. Some are students as well, so it could be anyone really.

Is Part Of The Role Reassuring Patients?

Yes, it is. Some of them are really worried. Some are really distressed because they’re in a whole different country that they don’t know, especially the healthcare system.

So it’s really putting them at ease. We do that a lot here.

Do You Follow Up With Patients Or Is It One Call?

It depends on the case.

Some cases are just one initial assessment and they may just need a virtual healthcare appointment and then we close the case.

But some need hospitalisation, so we follow up in the next few days, sometimes the next day if they are in ITU. We follow up and see how they progress, and once they’re well or home, we close the case.

What Happens Between Calls?

There’s always calls! Sometimes we don’t get time.

But when we do, we have off-queue time where we can look at medical reports. Some of us are trained to do MCREX—medical consultant recommendations—which helps progress cases, like deeming treatments medically necessary.

And sometimes we have meetings and huddles.

Is It A 9–5 Job?

No, actually. In the UK team we do Australian night hours, and the Australian team do UK night hours.

It’s a 24/7 service because it’s an emergency assistance company, so we have to be here 24/7.

How Did You Get Into This Role?

I started as an adult assessment unit nurse in Barnet Hospital in 2017.

I got into this industry in 2019 with a startup medical assistance company called CLCA Assistance. I was hired as a flight nurse and then took on a medical case manager role part-time.

After that I went to International SOS, but that was a fixed-term contract during COVID. After maternity leave, I did functional nurse assessor work, but that wasn’t my thing.

Then I saw this role with Zurich Cover-More and thought, yes, let me get back into the industry.

How Does This Compare To Hospital Nursing?

It’s very different.

In A&E and AAU you’re bedside nursing and very hands-on. With medical assistance, it’s more corporate and computer-based.

When you’re doing triage and assessments over the phone, it’s hard to gauge what’s really going on. So we always advise them to get seen by doctors or healthcare professionals so they can be assessed properly.

Does The Role Offer Better Work-Life Balance?

Definitely, especially with the hybrid role. It’s just a bit more balanced.

What Do You Enjoy Most About The Job?

I love that I’m still able to help travellers even though they’re not here.

I love that I can put them at ease—I have a familiar accent, I speak English—and they’re in unfamiliar surroundings.

It’s a privilege to help them when they don’t know the healthcare system.

Do You Get Feedback From Patients?

Yes, there are very grateful customers who are always so thankful.

Especially when we organise repatriations and they come back home and feel relieved—it’s always nice to hear those stories.

How Does The Reward Compare To Hospital Nursing?

It’s a bit hard to put into words.

In the hospital, you see patients every day and see their progress—that’s one kind of reward.

Here, you don’t see them, but hearing what you’ve done for them and how it’s helped them is a different kind of reward.

I enjoy both equally. I still do bank shifts as well, so I get both sides.

What’s It Like Working For Zurich Cover-More?

I like the flexibility.

We have a workforce planner who does the rotas really well—he does them in blocks, so if you’ve got four shifts, you can do them in a row and then have three days off.

The medical team is quite close. We have meetings and we use WhatsApp to communicate—if we’re short staffed, if there are shifts available, or even just to have a laugh.

Zurich is such a big company as well, so it’s well known. When you say you work for Zurich Cover-More, people recognise it.

What Type Of Nurse Would This Role Suit?

This is for someone looking for a change—not just face-to-face nursing, but corporate as well.

If you want to explore beyond the NHS or hospital, this is the place to do it.

It also depends on your lifestyle. For me, flexibility is a big benefit. So anyone with young kids, this could be for them.

And in terms of personal qualities—as long as you’re resilient and compassionate, which every nurse has anyway.