Opportunities to develop a new career in healthcare

Opportunities to develop a new career in healthcare

Off By Ed Hanna

Robert Derbyshire joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in 2009 as a Combat Technician, leaving in 2013, coming back from Afghanistan with ambitions to get into nursing.

To make that a reality Robert took on GCSEs and then A-levels, finishing the required qualifications in 2017. After working in an ambulatory emergency care unit he was promoted to a band 6 charge nurse position, before moving into his current role. He explained: “I’m now a ward manager; I stepped up to band 7. That was a baptism of fire, but I think resilience is stuff given to you in the Army, whether you want it or not, and does stand you in good stead when you’re doing that sort of job.”

Parallels with the Forces
Parallels between healthcare and Military life have certainly helped Robert get a grip of roles within the hospital environment, as he says: “Basic things like delegation, because you know your team; you’re very good at building rapport with people, especially as I was a medic on Ops. I know everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, for instance.”

Similarly, he sees that the Trust’s attitude towards Veterans and Service-leavers is equally positive. “They welcome them because they’ve got a great work ethic, they understand that tasks need to be done and they’ve got that feel for the fine details, that situational awareness.

I would do it all again. I have never regretted my decision to pursue this career. Obviously, not everyone is going to go down the same route as me. When people think of the NHS, they often think of the nursing side but there are plenty of other different roles in allied healthcare.

There’s plenty of opportunity for developing your skills, your knowledge, and going up the pay bands and landing more responsibilities.”

About Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Trust is situated on the west coast of Lancashire and provides a range of acute services to the 352,000 population of the Fylde coast health economy and the estimated 18 million visitors to the seaside town of Blackpool, as well as a wide range of community health services to the 445,000 residents of Blackpool, Fylde, Wyre and North Lancashire. The Trust is also a provider of specialist tertiary care for cardiac and haematology services across the region.

The Trust has a wide range of opportunities ideal for people to start or continue with their career in either medical, non-medical or allied health professional roles and the organisation is keen to connect with people who share its values and are passionate about making a difference to patient care.  

Visit: www.bfwh.nhs.uk or the vacancies page at: www.bfwh.nhs.uk/current-vacancies