This year the NHS celebrates its 70th anniversary, and employs approximately 1.5 million people, putting them in the top 5 of the World’s largest employers.
It’s an organisation that offers many different career options, Charlene Roe works as the Genomics Service Development Operations Manager for NHS England in London, she shares a day in her life.
I’ve had my current role at NHSE for 8 months, but I’ve worked for NHS Service since 2003. My Mum inspired me to think about healthcare as a profession as she’d worked in the NHS all her life. When I was 15, I’d been on a six-week trip to the states with my sister, on the way home, I sat next to an American nurse who was telling me how the UK trained the best nurses – I think from that moment my mind was made up.
Initially I did a diploma in nursing and then whilst I was working as a Staff Nurse I completed my BSc (Hons) in Nursing Studies. I have since completed masters modules in contract law.
My current role is national so I’m based in London. I work from home at the beginning of the week and then work and live in London at the end of the week. A typical day in the office is 8-6pm. I spend time speaking to NHS trusts across England, and attend a variety of meetings across London, so I’m in and out of the office a lot.
I believe nursing is a truly unique career, there are so many different career pathways that you can take. Throughout my nursing career I have worked on an acute cardiology ward, in the community, in a theatre environment, I then moved to a lecturing post at the University of Nottingham, where I taught student nurses. I’ve also worked in Research across a variety of specialities, managed a Cancer Research Team and I’m currently working on a national project. I can’t think of many professions that would offer such diverse career options. Throughout all of my jobs the ultimate reward is knowing that I’m helping people, whether it’s patients, staff I’ve been managing or students I’ve been teaching.
I’ve had quite a few career highlights, but the main ones are that in 2017 I was nominated for, and went onto win the most Significant Contribution to Services Supporting Research. I was truly honoured to have the work I was doing acknowledged and recognised, it was a very proud moment.
I’ve also been invited to attend a service at Westminster Abbey to celebrate Florence Nightingales life. As a nurse, this is a true honour and I’m very excited about it!
When I was a student nurse, the medical head of service said don’t be afraid to move around, change and get experience. This has certainly served me well, and I tend to pass this message on.
I think that every experience I’ve had throughout my career, even if it was difficult at the time are incredibly valuable. They are there to be learnt from and help build resilience.
Talk Dalmatian 