It’s Healthcare Science Week 2024!

• What is your role at Sheffield Children’s?

I’ve been a Clinical Scientist in audiology for almost five years now!

• What does a typical day look like in your role?

Testing children’s hearing, often those with complex needs, fitting hearing aids and testing babies’ hearing using objective testing (auditory brainstem response testing). My current responsibilities include leading the hearing aid service, training students and other staff members, external peer review of our auditory brainstem response testing, research and development amongst others.

• Why Healthcare Sciences at Sheffield Children’s?

I did my undergraduate degree in physiological sciences but wanted to work with people rather than in a lab. I heard about the clinical scientist training scheme and was fortunate to get a funded place to do my MSc in audiology and CAC clinical scientist training.  When I first started a post-qualification role it was with both adults and children, but I found working with children and young people much more rewarding, so quickly moved into paediatric audiology.

• What is the best part of your current role?

Being able to use my scientific knowledge to help children and young people at Sheffield Children’s to hear better and know that I can have a positive impact on their long-term development.

• Do you have any advice for people just starting their healthcare science journey?

Take as many opportunities as you can to learn something new!

• What is your role?

I am a Specialist Audiologist in hearing services and have worked in Hearing Services at Sheffield Children’s for over 25 years!

• Why Sheffield Children’s?

I started in 1998 on my 19^th birthday on a two-year training scheme, similar to a modern-day apprenticeship. This was before degree-level entry into the Audiology profession was available to me. Since then, I have completed a BTEC, BAAT, HND and MSc funded and supported by Sheffield Children’s. I’ve actually progressed through every role in the audiology team and am currently deputy head of my department. This is what makes Sheffield Children’s such a great place to work!

• What does a typical day look like for you in your current role? What are your responsibilities?

My typical day always involves patient contact, assessing, diagnosing hearing loss, and fitting hearing aids. I particularly enjoy the preschool group. Watching children progress and develop particularly with their communication is incredibly rewarding. My responsibilities include line management and staff development, leading the medical audiology service, and leading infant inpatient hearing assessments.

• What is the best part of your current role?

The best part of my role is working with children and their families, facilitating staff development, and continually shaping and improving our service for hearing impaired children and their families.

• What is your current role?

I am the Lead Healthcare Scientist at Sheffield Children’s, Deputy Clinical Director for our Pharmacy, Diagnostics and Genetics Care Group and a Clinical Biochemist.

• Why Sheffield Children’s?

I trained as a Clinical Biochemist in Bristol and moved to a higher specialist post at Manchester working in the field of paediatrics. I have been in Sheffield now for 16 years and have learnt so much both with the leadership and the clinical teams.

• What does a typical day look like for you in your current role? What are your responsibilities?

My role is very varied as I have three jobs and I enjoy all of them. In my clinical role I spend my time diagnosing rare causes of sudden unexplained death in childhood along with diagnosing patients with inherited metabolic diseases. I carry out the interpretation of organic acids, amino acids, acylcarnitines, very long chain fatty acids as well as fatty acid oxidation flux on cultured fibroblasts. I may also carry out technical duties such as setting up skin biopsies. In my leadership roles I attend many meetings ensuring healthcare scientists are represented and included in all aspects of Trust business. I contribute to protocols, guidelines, book chapters, strategic plans and many other documents. It is a very varied but highly rewarding job.

• What do you enjoy most about your role?

Interacting with so many interesting people all working with the common goal to raise the profile of child health.

• What is your biggest achievement to date?

Completing my exams for Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists, developing the skills to really make a difference in the diagnosis of inherited metabolic disease and using the skills to drive change as both a diagnostic biochemist as well as a scientific advisor.

Being a clinical scientist is a thoroughly rewarding and diverse job.  No two roles are the same and no two days are the same. Every day is a learning day and brings new challenges. I would not want to choose any other career.

• What I your current role?

I am a Principal Clinical Scientist Department of Clinical Chemistry at Sheffield Children’s and have worked at Sheffield Children’s for almost 20 years.

• Why Sheffield Children’s?

I completed a degree in Biochemistry and then, while working as a research technician, applied for the Clinical Scientist training programme. I spent two years working as a Grade A trainee while also completing a master’s degree in Clinical Biochemistry. My third year of my training took me to a couple of district general hospitals in the Manchester area and then to Sheffield Children’s to complete my paediatric placement – I never left! I have worked here for almost 20 years and am now the Lead Clinical Scientist for the Tissue Culture and Enzyme section of Clinical Chemistry.

• What does a typical day look like for you in your current role? What are your responsibilities?

My role is very varied with no typical day. I spend one day a week acting as Duty Biochemist, signing out results from the acute section of the laboratory, taking calls from clinicians and other laboratories across the country. The rest of the week is spent reporting metabolic test results, attending multidisciplinary team meetings, speaking to and advising clinicians from across the country on specialist testing as well as managing the tissue culture and enzyme assay section of the lab. For some of the enzyme assays we are the only lab in the country offering a particular service. I still really enjoy getting to do practical work and regularly perform enzyme assays and do some tissue culture.

• What is your favourite part of your current role?

The fact that I work in a specialist laboratory performing assays which are not done anywhere else in the country provides a sense of achievement and knowledge that I am contributing to delivering excellent healthcare to our patients.

• What is your biggest achievement to date?

I am proud to be one of the Scientific Advisors for ERNDIM (European Research Network for evaluation and improvement of screening, Diagnosis and treatment of Inherited disorders of Metabolism). This has enabled me to make links with other scientists in biochemical genetic laboratories across Europe.

• Job role:

I am currently acting Lead Respiratory Physiologist and have worked for Sheffield Children’s for just over two years.

• Why Sheffield Children’s?

Whilst studying I was based in adult hospitals. For my elective, I wanted to gain some experience in paediatrics. During this time, I really enjoyed working with children and young people and gained more job satisfaction. I preferred to work at Sheffield Children’s as it is one of just three independent, specialist paediatric hospitals in the country, providing dedicated healthcare.

• What does a typical day look like for you in your current role? What are your responsibilities?

I perform complex tests on patients such as full lung function, hypoxic challenges, exercise tests, interpret and report test results, teach students within the department, and attend multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings. Alongside these responsibilities I also oversee the day-to-day admin and staffing issues.

• What drew you to a career in healthcare science and specifically your current role?

From a young age, I’ve always been interested in science. Biology was my favourite subject at school! A career in healthcare science explores the intricacies of the human body as well as the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies, to make a positive impact on people’s lives. I specifically chose Respiratory due to the diverse range of patients and conditions, from asthma, cystic fibrosis, dysfunctional breathing and the ever-evolving advancements in technology, treatments, and research.

• What is the best part about your current role?

I enjoy how diverse every day is and working as part of a MDT to improve the quality of life and health of children, young people, and their families. I also enjoy how I am continually learning.

• Do you have any advice for people just starting their healthcare science journey?

Do not let any opportunity pass you by. Sit in on clinics, MDT meetings, observe surgeries and procedures, volunteer to teach junior members of staff. All of these opportunities will enhance your skills and confidence. You may even cross paths with someone who will be instrumental in your developing career. And the most important advice is to ask questions – no question is silly!