When I finished school I had no idea what I wanted to do and the pressure to pick a career pathway loomed over me. I had just managed to get all round C’s in my GCSE’s. I did not like the school setting and was positive that I didn’t want to go to college, so I joined the apprenticeship company Prostart. Within two days I had an interview at Nottinghamshire County Council and accepted for the job on the same day. I spent just over one year completing my Level 2 diploma in customer service as a receptionist.
Whilst doing this job role I met hundreds of councillors, members of parliament and members of the public on a daily basis, which really built up my confidence, communication skills and time management. Throughout my apprenticeship my assessor was pushing me to apply for an apprenticeship here at NUH, as she taught apprentices here and felt that I wasn’t pushing the boundaries of what I could accomplish.
I began looking on the NHS Jobs webpage and came across an opening for a permanent position in Urology as a General Clinical Administrator at band 2 level. I had initially set out looking for an apprenticeship, as I thought my chances of getting a full time permanent job at the age of 17 were too good to be true. However I went ahead and filled in the application form with help from my apprenticeship assessor. To my surprise I received an email invitation for an interview.
Once the interview was over, I left the building feeling confident about the way I handled my interview, I felt very positive and believed that I would get the job based on how I presented myself. I spent a lot of time preparing and researching for my interview and asked for the question to be repeated on a few occasions, to ensure I met the criteria for each question. A few hours later, on returning to the council, I had a phone call to offer me the job and I could not believe that I had done it!
I started my role here at NUH and immediately fell in love with my job, the team ethic, the responsibility and working under pressure.
From the beginning I have never said no to any challenge or job I have been given and this held me in high esteem with my managers. Showing that I was willing to learn has opened a lot of doors to opportunities. I had seen my colleagues audio typing and it immediately took my interest.
I spent the next year in this role teaching myself how to type, becoming familiar with medical terminology and speeding up how fast I could complete a letter. A job opened within my office for a support secretary and I immediately applied for this. I am now a Band 3 Patient Pathway Administrator and love the problem solving and challenges I face on a day to day basis.
My career advice
Never allow anybody to tell you that you can’t. You can! Say yes to every opportunity and dive straight in at the deep end.
You can learn and take something different from each and every colleague you work around, learn from their ways of working and you will then find a way that works best for you. There are no boundaries to what you can achieve if you believe in yourself.
