• Question: Who inspired to to become a part of the health and social care community?

    Asked by seek11met to Notts, LLR, Lincolnshire, HW, Derbyshire on 30 Mar 2023.
    • Photo: Clare Goss

      Clare Goss answered on 30 Mar 2023:


      I was inspired by the midwives when I had my daughter 24 years ago as they were so caring and compassionate, even though I never trained to be a midwife, a nurses role is also a caring and compassionate one so they can be similar as we also deal with babies from time to time.

    • Photo: Yuen Say Toh

      Yuen Say Toh answered on 30 Mar 2023:


      work experience and observations. you dont need to know it straight away but ask questions, sitting in are good places to start

    • Photo: Laurence Quirk

      Laurence Quirk answered on 30 Mar 2023:


      It was a man who’s name I have forgotten who worked in health promotion who gave a talk at university and persuaded me to get involved in student project promoting HIV & sexual health awareness to other students. I can still remember the training sessions we did with him. I worked in similar health related projects for years after graduating before I joined the NHS in 2020

    • Photo: Kate Knowles

      Kate Knowles answered on 31 Mar 2023:


      My Mum and a close friend who was a nurse. They both recognised that I would enjoy nursing and be good at it. It was well worth listening to their advise – thank goodness I did!

    • Photo: Sarah Chalmers-Page

      Sarah Chalmers-Page answered on 3 Apr 2023:


      To be honest, I was not inspired, as such. I was inspired to do a psychology degree by a very good teacher in my sixth form. After that, a friend suggested I work part time as what was then called a Nursing Assistant – slightly less qualified than a modern Healthcare Assistant – because it was easy to fit bank shifts in around my exams and nights out. And whilst that was interesting, good work, it wasn’t inspiring as such. I finished my degree, worked in various roles and knew that jobs where I helped people interested me more than jobs where I made distant shareholders a profit. The NHS graduate scheme was one of the few that would take people who had four years work experience as well as a degree, and it offered me the chance to work towards an MSc at the time, which none of the others were offering. I came into the NHS for far more practical reasons than thinking of a dream job or one inspiring hospital stay, and I think that’s OK too.

      That said, I have had loads of inspiring managers *after* I chose this job. There have been a lot of strong, fierce women managers who were also compassionate and caring, proving we could have both. There have been people taking big chances and standing up for what they believe in, and people who have taken a lot of time to help new people like me shine. So I am very glad this is the path I took.

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