Healthcare is one of the most varied and rewarding career paths a person can embark on. With space and demand for a huge range of skills, ample opportunities for advancement, and the chance to make a difference in people’s lives every day.
There’s no one single reason why people love working in healthcare. For some, it’s the variety, for others it’s the chance to master skills or simply the reward of improving lives. Often, it’s a mix of all three.
Why our team loves working in healthcare
Since Elysium is made up of the most dedicated, passionate, and highly-skilled healthcare professionals, we thought we’d ask them just why it is that they love working in healthcare.
Here’s what they had to say.
The service user’s journey
Sarah Waller is a tissue viability nurse at Elysium’s Jacob’s Neurological Centre. For Sarah, one of the joys of the job is being able to follow a service user’s journey throughout treatment to resolution. To see them get their lives back on track.
“The best thing is I get time to stop and think about what I’m doing, and the most valuable thing is that I can see a service user from the beginning to the end,” says Sarah. “Being a tissue viability nurse is incredibly rewarding.”
Work like Sarah’s can be life-changing for service users. “We have seen people have amazing outcomes with wounds which were badly impacting their quality of life,” she explains. “From being disinterested in life and barely conscious to smiling, chatting to grandchildren and engaging – all because a wound has been treated.”
Training and advancement opportunities
Nkoyo Shadracks is a Ward Manager at Braeburn House. Not only that, but she’s also had the chance to take on new responsibilities alongside her role.
“I have had the opportunity to train as a Safeguarding and PREVENT trainer for Elysium,” says Nkoyo. “I also completed Education and Training qualifications which further enhanced my training skills, confidence and competencies.”
As if that wasn’t enough, Nkoyo is also brushing up on her leadership skills to be a better colleague with a Level 5 Coaching Professional Apprenticeship. “In the field we are in, organisation, the style of leadership is changing and coaching is helpful in what can be a stressful environment,” she says. “It helps to be able to understand my colleagues and be the best support I can be as a manager.”
A work environment that works for you
Saffron is an information security engineer at Elysium, where the sense of camaraderie, flexible working environment, and career advancement opportunities are second to none.
“I think we have a really lovely culture of everyone wanting to take care of each other,” explains Saffron. “I don’t think I would have been able to get the progression opportunities that I’ve had here, anywhere else either. For me to go into a junior role fully remote in itself is amazing. But then I also went from junior analyst to engineer. That was a really good progression opportunity for me that I don’t think I would have had elsewhere.”
Training the next generation
“When you are training staff, you are putting your outlook on it and teaching them exactly how to provide high-quality care,” says Natalie Newton when asked about her role as Regional Training Officer & Regional Lead STMVA tutor for all the regions. “Even though you aren’t directly looking after someone, you are still making a difference.”
Natalie’s standing at Elysium also gives her a unique opportunity to give her colleagues the chance to step up, a responsibility she relishes. “I love that I can see qualities and potential in people that they may not recognise in themselves,” she adds. “I can support them in taking a step to progress…to upskill on the job.”
Taking on new challenges.
Careers in healthcare aren’t always linear. Take Kyle. Starting out as a nurse, he’s now the Registered Manager at Clipstone House, our learning disabilities and autism service. He didn’t originally plan on a career in healthcare, though.
“My original background was in music and art with my first degree being in music,” says Kyle. “I always wanted to be a tattoo artist, so I was an apprentice tattoo artist for a little while, up until I had my daughter.” Fatherhood changed Kyle’s priorities, leading him to follow his sister into a career in healthcare. “I worked through the ranks from newly qualified nurse to Staff Nurse, Team Leader, and then became Ward Manager.”
When the opportunity came up to become Registered Manager at Clipstone House, Kyle jumped at it “I’ve been here two years,” he adds. “I am absolutely loving every minute of it, and I’m looking forward to what comes next.”
The chance to take responsibility
“Whether it’s a Psychologist, Social Worker, Nurse or Healthcare Worker, everything comes through to the Hospital Director,” says Gerry Graham, Executive Hospital Director at the Farmfield hospital in Surrey. “It is my job to make sure that we are delivering high standards of care required and that those standards are maintained.”
As Hospital Director, Gerry is central to everything that goes on at Farmfield, attending contract meetings and making the difficult decisions needed to improve the service.
“It’s about making sure things are running smoothly and, of course, there’s always a challenge. I think a day in the life as a Hospital Director is just about problem-solving. No two days are the same, and no two weeks are the same.”
Even with the sometimes challenging nature of his job, Gerry is very clear that he wouldn’t change a thing. “I love the healthcare sector, I get to work with such amazing people and see the change these people make to those who need it most.”
Learning from the best
Felix is a student nurse who has recently worked a placement at The Dean Neurological Centre.
For Felix, the experience, learning from the team at The Dean, as well as the service users, has been eye-opening in the best way. “Interaction with some of the service users was a good learning experience for me,” says Felix. “Learning to communicate effectively, adapting my approach to meet their individual needs and expectations; this awakened in me the importance of service user-centred care.”
“The dedication and passion of the staff was contagious and inspired me to strive for excellence and uphold the highest standard of care.”
Supported career advancement
No matter what your career path in healthcare looks like, there are always plenty of opportunities to learn and grow while still earning a full-time wage.
Clare Peatson qualified as a Chartered Forensic Psychologist alongside her work at Elysium. Overseen by a coordinating supervisor and gaining vital on-the-job experience, it was the perfect set-up for Clare to advance.
“Elysium provided me with the opportunity to meet all the four core roles, work with a coordinating supervisor, and provide any other additional support I needed to complete the qualification,” she says.
“I was able to get involved in the different sites, working with different genders, it’s meant that I’ve gained such a strong foundation of my career that I can really build on. My Psychology department was also so welcoming and supportive.”
Being part of an exceptional team
Working in healthcare can come with a degree of stress, but it’s the way that teams pull together to support each other, to get the job done to a consistently high standard, that sets it apart from other careers.
That’s what Sean Cowley has found in his time as Lead Nurse at the Thornford Park Hospital.
“The team you are in is so important,” agrees Sean. “My team are quite resilient and able to manage all types of situations.”
“This is a huge motivation, as knowing you have a strong team around you will help and support you on those difficult days.”
Every day and every service user is different
One aspect of healthcare that everyone can agree on is that every day is different, and that means you’re always learning.
That’s the view of Dr Rebecca Doyle, Principal Forensic Psychologist and Deputy Lead Psychologist for Chadwick Lodge and Eaglestone View:
“I think when you’re working somewhere and you know what each day is going to bring, I think you stop sort of learning really in some ways,” puts Rebecca.
Rebecca’s work brings her into contact with many different service users, all with their own, specific treatment needs.
“We have quite a multimodal approach in terms of thinking about different therapeutic models that we use with our service users,” she explains. “A lot of it comes down to individual need and what works best for that service user. We work with a wide range of service users, individually and in groups…It is important that we conduct thorough assessments, and think about how to best meet their treatment needs.”
Looking for a career in healthcare?
These are just a handful of reasons why people choose a career in healthcare, and they’re by no means the only ones.
Whether you’re looking for a new challenge, seeking to make a difference, or in need of a job where every day is a little different, you’ll find it in healthcare.
To discover why you’ll love working in healthcare, take a look at Elysium’s latest job opportunities today.