Annabel Betts

Please tell us about your current role and employer

I'm currently training to be a Clinical Scientist on the Neurophysiology MSc programme. This is a 3 year course with a three layer structure: the workplace (gaining experience in the department in a Plymouth hospital, where I spend most of my time), the academic component (distance learning course run by Aston University - always nice as you get to visit Birmingham sporadically!), and an epic portfolio that runs alongside everything else.

'Clinical Scientists' are a fairly new role to Neurophysiology; this role has evolved from 'physiologists' (also continues to be an essential role in the department), and 'technicians' before that. Each change in name is associated with a higher level of critical thinking and responsibility.

As a trainee, my role is essentially to get up to speed, as fast as possible! This encompasses the practical, theoretical and leadership/people side of things, so that by the end of the three years I am competent to undertake any situations that a Clinical Scientist might routinely face.

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

One thing I really appreciate about my job is that it is 'people-facing', meaning you interact with patients, rather than being hidden away in an office. Each day varies, but a 'typical Thursday' might look something like...

8:30 - Discuss with the team any problems from yesterday or things that need to be flagged for today.

9:00 - Take the first patient down for my nerve conduction clinic. On a good day I've already set the room up and the admin team have delivered the notes, so I'm ready to go! I'll see 4-5 patients in the morning and test their nerves for common peripheral neuropathies, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or an ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow. This involves a lot of making people's fingers and thumbs jump and agreeing with them that it is a strange sensation.

Lunch - Quickly try to run outside and see some sunshine.

12:30 - Finish off outstanding reports and send off to the patient's respective medical teams, mixed with doing some portfolio bits, mixed with helping out with the EEG inpatient caseload. Inpatients are ad-hoc requests which we aim to complete on the same day they are referred. We usually find ourselves down in the intensive care unit, applying electrodes to someone who may have had a traumatic brain injury or another neurological catastrophe.

16:30 - Trying very hard to wrap up the reports before it's time to go home!

What was your journey to getting a job after graduating from Birmingham? (e.g. application process, visa considerations)

I think I knew I wanted to work with people. I became aware of the Scientist Training Programme in my first year at UoB, so throughout my degree it was in the back of my mind. I got in touch with the local Neurophysiology department at the Queen Elizabeth to organise some work experience, which would have been fantastic... unfortunately, this was the summer of the pandemic, and all extra-curricular training was cancelled. I applied to the direct-entry 2021 cohort of STP applicants and was rejected.

At the end of my degree, I'd spent the last 18-months online and was incredibly worried I had no patient experience. I returned to my parents’ house and started a community carer job. This was gruelling, paid very little and was rough hours. However, very life-affirming and eye-opening at the same time. I now think everyone should have stint of being a carer.

At the same time, I was keeping an eye on NHS jobs. Some occasional job opportunities were coming up for a Trainee Clinical Physiologist - a Band 3 roll for degree holders with no prior Neurophysiology experience. I applied to 4 of these roles, got rejected for 3, and accepted for my last interview at the end of the summer.

From here, I moved down to the Southwest within the next 2 weeks and started working in my department. I was on a different training route but was offered the chance to interview for in-service entry to the STP within the first year, even though I had about 6-months experience! I grabbed this opportunity and am now 2-months away from finishing the STP.

How do you feel the learning experience on your course helped to prepare you for your career?

Looking back, I loved every minute of university experience. That's probably with rose-tinted glasses now, but I often use examples from university to encourage myself when I am struggling or feeling unable to motivate myself now. University life felt full of society's, crazy side projects, part-time jobs, not much sleep and still getting the deadlines in. Although I was definitely 'burning the candle at both ends', I often think back to university to remind myself that I am capable of spinning lots of plates!

Academically, although I hate to admit it, getting used to reading papers, developing your critical thinking skills and getting a good grounding in statistics was a great set-up for the STP. Often, very random papers of learning from a niche module will turn out to be very relevant, but the overall anatomy and physiology of the nervous system was the most important piece of academic learning.

How did the University's support services (e.g. Careers Network) help to prepare you for your career?

I used the online CV checker frequently. I think I also had a meeting with one of the Careers Network team to think through what the right sort of job for me would be, and how to get there.

What are your top tips for students graduating today?

Number one rule for anything you need - never email if you can phone. Then follow up with an email.

Secondly, there's an impression when you're a student that all jobs are saturated, or that you have to fight other graduates for any role worth getting. I can only speak for Neurophysiology, but we're massively understaffed. Although NHS processes and systems take along time, persevere with getting as much work experience as possible. You probably only need a week here and there, go to different departments and teams, and grow your list of contacts. Reach out to anyway you think good be able to help you or dish out some advice.

What were the best things about your course?

I loved the content of my course. I loved that we shared some teaching with medics and biosciences, that we had some small group seminars, and there was scope to have every type of investigation performed on you! There was enough free time to take you reading wherever you wanted, and lecturers were so enthusiastic about helping out.

I was also very grateful that the Human Neuroscience course was a little smaller than some of the other cohorts. Although this did present it's own challenges at times, such as being left off an email, it also meant we were a tight knit group who knew each other really well.

What was your biggest achievement during your course? (personal, professional or academic)

Spinning the plates. University life was so full and busy at all times it seemed, and learning to balance and hold everything together was a key skill that I am grateful for learning now. (I also got the highest mark of my cohort - I'm a bit proud of that too!)

On a personal level, my faith and learning to rely on Jesus really stepped up at university. This is where I find purpose and meaning in life, and what drives me forward when I'm at the end of myself. Although not an 'achievement' as such, where faith took me, at university and beyond, was the primary key factor in shaping my next steps.