‘i feel so privileged that i can do what i love on a daily basis’ | nursing times

Rebecca Fell, who provides support to healthcare support workers, shares the stand-out moments of her career and the highlights of her role as associate healthcare support worker development

educator. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE TO SOMEONE YOU’VE JUST MET? “I provide pastoral support to new healthcare support workers (HCSWs) and coach them in clinical practice to help

build their confidence and skills. I teach the Care Certificate national programme and organise and run the trust’s HCSW Council and HCSW Preceptorship Programme. I also attend school career

fairs to promote working for our trust.” WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL WORKING WEEK LOOK LIKE? "I am in constant touch with new staff and personally carry out ward visits to ensure they feel

well supported and quickly settle into their role. I attend various trust and national council meetings, teach the Care Certificate and support our apprenticeship and careers team to help

develop our future generation of staff." WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME A NURSE? “For many years I wanted to change to a career in healthcare. I helped provide end-of-life care for my

grandmother and aunty and this gave me the push I needed to apply for a job. At the age of 38, I was successfully appointed to the role of healthcare assistant in a stroke rehabilitation

unit in Plymouth. Once I arrived, I soon realised that this kind of work was a vocation for me. I regret not having had the prior courage to change my career earlier.” WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO

YOUR CURRENT ROLE? “As soon as I saw this job advertised, I knew that it would be a perfect fit for me. Pastoral support comes naturally to me and I have always gone the extra mile to

support new starters. While working as a healthcare assistant, I took all new starters under my wing, including any bank staff, who had not worked on the ward before. Even now, when walking

around the hospital, staff thank me for all that I did for them. I feel so privileged to have secured this role so that I can do what I love on a daily basis.” WHO HAS HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT

ON YOUR CAREER? "The Stroke Rehabilitation Unit at Mount Gould Hospital gave me such an amazing start to my career. It was a brilliant place to learn. It was so diverse and allowed me

to gain my Stroke Care Competencies for Unregistered Workers, which have stood me in such good stead throughout my career." WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR ROLE? "Honestly,

everything. I am 50 and finally in my dream job. I love to help our new recruits so that they feel confident and competent as soon as possible. To be able to pass on everything that I have

learnt, support and guide new staff, and give helpful tips to people to make their job easier gives me immense pleasure." WHAT’S BEEN THE STAND-OUT MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR? “I am

visually impaired. To have been accepted by the NHS for who I am and to have started work in an organisation that treats staff with kindness, respect and dignity was a career-defining moment

for me. The very first day I walked onto the ward, I knew in my bones that I was in the right place and that I would be given the chance to flourish. This is something I had never

experienced in my working life before. I will be eternally grateful for the fulfilment that the NHS has given me. I provided end-of-life care for my mother-in-law this year and this made me

reflect on how far I have come since 2008, and how grateful I was to the NHS for teaching me the skills to ensure she was kept comfortable in her last few weeks of her life.” WHAT ARE YOUR

AMBITIONS FOR THE FUTURE? “My ambition is to continually develop and improve my skills and I hope to gain further qualifications. It will then be my intention to share the knowledge I gain

with all new staff who join our trust. I also strive to develop new initiatives for our HCSWs so that our trust can continue to thrive and deliver excellent high-quality care.“ WHAT ADVICE

WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO WANTED A JOB LIKE YOURS? “If you have a passion for making a difference to the journey of a new HCSW then this is the role for you. Join the Future NHS

HCSW/Care Certificate platforms to link into a network of staff in the same role. If you are teaching the Care Certificate, I would recommend gaining a teaching qualification.” CAREER FILE

Name: Rebecca Fell Job title: Associate healthcare support worker development educator Employer: Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Salary (or range/band): £22,549-£24,882

Average hours worked: 37.5 hours Career history: HCA, Prescott Ward, Cheltenham General Hospital (February 2021-April 2022); HCA, Ryeworth Ward, Cheltenham General Hospital (June

2019–February 2021); relocated to Dublin for five years; HCA, Stroke Rehabilitation Unit, Mount Gould Hospital, Plymouth (2008-13) Qualifications: BTEC Level 4 in education and training,

Stroke Care Competencies for Unregistered Workers, GCSE in English and Maths, 6 CSEs, Pittman’s Diploma in word processing, Pittman’s Diploma in Excel spreadsheets, RSA Typewriting Stage 1,

City and Guilds in Administration