Clare McCarroll, a St George's Physiotherapy BSc alumna and Team Lead at the Integrated Community Reablement Service at Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust, shares her story for International Women's Day.
Clare was awarded a British empire medal (BEM) last year in recognition of her services to the NHS during the Covid-19 response. Her team provides vital care and support to patients who have been discharged from hospital, as well as visiting patients who require care at home to help avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.
Below, Clare shares what International Women’s Day means to her and other women in her industry.
Returning to St George's
Clare will soon be moving into a role as a Learning and Development Lead for Bridges Self Management, a social enterprise. She will be working closely with its founder and CEO, Professor Fiona Jones, who is Professor of Rehabilitation Research at the St George's, University of London and Kingston University Joint Faculty.
She says: "I am very excited to be coming back to St George’s again.
St George’s feels like a real home, it’s a real community that I’ve always felt a massive part of.
"I was surrounded by all these dynamic, amazing people during my time there, and that instilled in me that value of multidisciplinary team working. Appreciating each other’s skills and pooling those together makes such a difference on a patient journey."
What International Women's Day means to me
"It’s so fabulous that we have this platform to celebrate women and all that we do. There is still quite a lot of gender inequality in the home as well as in the workplace, so it's great to have this day to challenge gender stereotypes and identify the biases that live in ourselves as well as across genders.
Imposter syndrome can be very limiting, and as women, we sometimes have our own biases about what we’re able to achieve.
"We need to be very aware of what we’re telling ourselves, as we will emit this message to others as well.”
The organisations Clare collaborates with alongside her main role are led by women – with the Brain Charity’s Music Makes Us Move project, Shortwork and Bridges Self Management. She also recently trained with Singing Mamas Choir leaders.
I feel really privileged and honoured to be a part of so many women-led organisations, and proud of the work they do to create better communities. We need to celebrate other women in the organisations in which we work and also cross-organisationally and help to raise their profile.
“I really think that women will be at the forefront of creating a more gender-equal world, as they have the power to call out inequalities in the workplace and do so with compassion, setting an example for how others might be able to do it in their own practices.”
The barriers I've faced
“I work in a female-dominated profession, and I feel really lucky that the women who have come before me have been so strong and influential.
But there have still been some barriers. I think I faced most of these when I was on maternity leave, when I found I wasn’t hearing about promotions and job opportunities that I should have been told about.
“I felt that when I did come back to work on a part-time basis my skills and experience didn’t seem to be taken as seriously. Initially, when I came back to work, I handled this by expressing my disappointment but also grounding this in policy. I would refer back to conversations I’d had as part of my Keeping in Touch days during maternity leave about different agreements we’d made. I learnt to be a better advocate for myself and be confident in my own abilities."
Reaching out to women who had been in similar situations also really helped, and I had a wonderful mentor, Joanna McIlmurra, who was a phenomenal support.
My advice for women exploring physiotherapy as a career
“As women, we tend not to put our own health and well-being at the forefront, but it is so important to do this. Prioritising your own health and well-being will help you to perform better in your role.
Always approach what you’re doing with curiosity. Think about what you are doing at work and consider whether your own values align with those of your organisation and your team. Remember that you have the power to change that at any stage if you find that a role is not for you.
“When you start out on your career path, be very clear on your values, and your boundaries. If you ever feel trapped, it’s a good place to start reflecting on how things could change to make you feel more satisfied in your role."
My hopes for the future
“I hope we continue to light the path and inspire people to lead with courage, but also with vulnerability."
I hope that together, we can address difficult conversations to create workplaces where the fundamental foundations are around celebrating success and learning in an open and honest way.
Alumni Perspectives
In October 2021, Clare joined us for a live online event as part of our Alumni Perspectives series to reflect on her time at St George’s and how she has shaped her career since.
Email alumni@sgul.ac.uk to receive a recording of this Q&A and hear more about her career path.
Find out more about International Women's Day and read more stories from the St George's community.