What year did you graduate?
2019
What course did you study?
BSc Healthcare Science (Cardiac Physiology) Hons.
What is your current role?
I am currently working as a Senior Cardiac Physiologist in the NHS. In my current role, my duties consist of assisting in cardiac catheter laboratories, running cardiac device clinics and training in echocardiography.
How did you get into your current role?
During my degree, I had many hours of being on placement at various hospitals. I really enjoyed this experience and it inspired me to apply for a job in the NHS as a cardiac physiologist.
I sought out advice from the careers team at St George’s, who were excellent and gave me information on how to apply for jobs and what the applications process was like.
With all of the resources from St George’s and using the experience I had gained from placement, I made an account on NHS jobs and began applying. I had to attend an interview where I was asked some practical, theory and scenario questions.
A short while after I heard I was successful and started working soon after I graduated! I have enjoyed every moment of it so far and am excited to carry on working and developing my skills.
Can you describe a typical day?
My day varies depending on where I am within the hospital! Currently I am in the devices clinic, where I see patients who have pacemakers. I will typically see 20-25 patients a day.
My day starts with looking at the list of patients for the day and reading over their notes and medical history. I then look and see if there are any inpatients or emergency patients that have come into hospital and need to have a device check.
During a patients visit, I will talk to the patient, take a quick clinical history, examine the patient and then check their pacemaker using advanced medical programmers. This provides me with information about the patient and their device, which allows me to make any changes required to help improve the function of the device and the patients quality of life.
It is always busy, but very interesting and rewarding!
What do you enjoy about your role?
There are so many parts of my role that keep me excited to come back to work each and every day.
The main thing I enjoy is the patient contact. Being able to be involved with the treatment and care of so many remarkable people, really makes the job feel rewarding!
I like that I get to meet lots of different patients every day, all of which are interesting and have different stories to tell.
There is also a large amount of variety in my job, which keeps things interesting and means there is never a dull moment!
What do you find challenging in your current role?
Managing my workload can sometimes be tricky. The NHS is extremely busy and often you have what seems like an infinite amount of things to do and little time to do it in. This can become harder when emergencies arise.
However, because my job is so interesting and enjoyable, it often doesn’t feel like work! The sense of job satisfaction really helps me to get through the busy days. Time often flies by and it’s the end of the day before you know it!
What advice would you give to a current student at St George’s who is keen to get in to a similar area of work as you?
One piece of advice would be to explore all your options. There are lots of hospitals with different types of roles and training, so your ideal place of work might depend heavily on what you are interested in. I wasn’t sure myself, so I chose to work somewhere where I could train in all areas of cardiac physiology, which has helped me become more skilled and put me in a better position to decide what to specialise in.
Something that is also important is staying up to date with current medical issues and developments in the field. Things can change and advance so quickly, so when attending interviews it is important to ensure you know your stuff and are up to date.
Most importantly, make sure you enjoy your job! If you enjoy the work you do it’ll never feel like work at all!
Which aspects of your degree are relevant for your current role?
The case-based teaching and journal club sessions were particularly useful, as they taught me theory using real world scenarios.
Placement was also useful as it prepared me for the real world of work and allowed me to hone my clinical skills and build my confidence.
What would you say were the best / most challenging things about your degree?
The best part for me was placement. This got me used to working in a clinical environment and communicating with patients.
The most challenging thing was balancing assignments and revision while on placement. It meant I had to work hard and manage my time effectively.
If you could go back to your time at St George’s, would you do anything differently?
There are a lot of different services that St George’s offer that I believe I could have utilised more, such as the careers service offering mock interviews and the education service.
However I managed to study and also get involved with lots of societies and extra opportunities that St George’s has to offer and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it!
Do you have any advice or a message for current students at St George’s?
Make the most of your time at university, utilise all the help that they offer you and keep working hard.
Remember why you chose to study your course and keep that motivation clear in your mind. This will help you get through the stressful times!
Do you have any advice or a message for students considering studying at St George’s?
I have had some of the best moments of my life at St George’s. From the staff, to the social life and student community, everything helped make my student experience unique and unforgettable. Studying at St George’s is one of the best decisions you can make for your future!