Sarah Beese

Health Care Assistant

By now you may recognise Sarah from our department leaflets. Working in Outpatients Sarah joined the trust as a member of the bank staff. After working on various wards and nurseries she found a permanent home in Chancellor Wing some 8 years ago. She has been there ever since. We spoke to Sarah to find out how she decided to take part in the NVQ 3 in Clinical Healthcare Skills.

Once you began working with the trust how did you find out about the training options that were available? How did that fit in with the training you’d done in the past, or the qualifications you had?

I found out about the NVQ through posters, and a couple of the other girls had done it. I then enquired about it a bit later on. I’ve been doing it for 2 years. Hopefully this year it will be all finished and complete.

Is it what you expected when you applied for it?

Oh yes, its everything that I thought it would be.

So what encouraged you to take it up after you’d heard about it.

Because I wanted to do it. It was something that I wanted to do. It does benefit the department that I work in but its because I wanted to do it.

Was that a career thing?

It will be later on yeah.

What’s been your experience of the training? Has it been enjoyable? A Challenge..

I don’t think its stretched me, but I really have enjoyed it because obviously the different units that I’ve done I’ve gone to different areas, different departments. Spent days with them and I’ve really enjoyed it.

Would you say that that’s the thing that you’ve most enjoyed then?

Yes, I’d say so.. and when it comes back I’ve passed it.

Has it taught you anything about yourself or have you surprised yourself in any way?

I have surprised myself in a couple of ways. Thinking ‘can I do this’ and I’ve actually found it quite easy, and then I’ve learned a lot more as well.

So it’s given you a different perception of the way you learn things as well?

Yes.

Talking about how the training has affected your role on a day to day basis have you found that its changed the way your think about it or the way that you do it.

Yes, I’m a Healthcare Assistant and some of the other HCAs will actually come to me then. On certain things, I think they can find it more comfortable sometimes asking me than going to say a staff nurse or somebody else.

So you become a department expert in some things?

In some little things yes.

So its quite rewarding? How would you sum up your experience?

Its been fulfilling. I’ve enjoyed it, had a great learning experience, visiting various departments to get things that you needed to complete the unit that you’re doing.

Sarah is not alone in finding the experience of learning both surprising and rewarding. Check back here to find out about more of your colleagues. Why not find out more about how you can develop your potential? Send us an email now to nvqinfo@leedsth.nhs.uk.