Healthcare science support worker Review

There are many duties that we carry out on a day to day basis, for example, I help to prepare the clinic rooms in the morning with the correct personal protective equipment, cleaning products etc, I also perform spirometer breathing tests on patients that are referred to our department, not only this, I clean the rooms after patient use and fill up all equipment, masks and PPE in each room to ensure the physiologists have what they need during a test.

I have learnt many new skills that I feel I didn’t have before, such as confidence, I would have classed myself as a shy character before starting the apprenticeship and during this time I have really been able to build on this characteristic, especially because it is patient facing.

I really enjoy the apprenticeship programme, I think it has really helped me expand on skills and knowledge. I had minimal knowledge about my department and illnesses we work on as I have had personal experience with family members etc and I think that is what first started my interest, as well as studying health and social throughout school. Therefore, with the work I have been doing, I have found it really enjoyable and interesting.

So far I think everything has been organised really well, the programme itself I believe has ran smoothly and I have had no issues at all. Work and college work together nicely to ensure we have time for college and time for study so all our work, work based and college based, get done to our best efforts.

Everyone at work, including colleagues as well, are really helpful and supportive. Some of my colleagues have previously done this apprenticeship so are aware of all the things we are expected to do so if they have any resources they found helpful, they have given us as well. My employer is amazing, I find they are helpful in every situation, any time I have had to talk to them about anything, they have always helped in the best way they could.

I receive a lot of support from my training provider, I have emailed my college tutor quite a lot regarding work and assignments and even though she only works for the college on a Tuesday, you can email her any time of day and she gets back to you almost immediately.

All work and assignments we learn in college helps us/ me perform better in my role because it provides us all with the background knowledge of working in a healthcare setting. Therefore, if I was unsure of anything at work, we go over particular things at college to improve our understanding, for example confidentiality, data handling, PREVENT, fire safety etc, all things that are key to working in a hospital setting.

I have seen many posters for fitness clubs that have taken place for hospital staff, for example, Zumba and dance fitness, and so on. A lot of these posters are up around the hospital and we receive emails about any other activities that the hospital may be holding to ensure people turn up.

Yes

Because everyone is really friendly and helpful, even if it is an area or department you aren’t familiar with, or if you have to go on a ward for a particular reason, anyone you stopped for help would advise and support you as much as they could. My department in particular are so kind and helpful, if at any point, I was struggling, many colleagues would reach out with their support.

I would say make sure you do some research about the hospital to ensure you’re fully aware of the hospitals values and then if you’re able to, maybe have a walk around, see the department or the ward to familiarise yourself with the area and to see if it is something you think you’ll like.