NHS Covid Administator Review

I was an administrator across many different sites in my home town during the COVID 2020 pandemic. This was in response to the start of the pandemic in 2020, when students and additional capacity was required to help support the efforts to keep the country safe during the outbreak and subsequent lockdowns. I helped to administrate patients' data, in line with GDPR, liaised with patients, health centres and other stakeholders, and distributed supplies across my community.

I learnt a lot of skills, especially dealing with the public. I dealt with many different types of stakeholders, from patients to healthcare professionals. In each scenario I had to tailor my approach to communication to the individual. I learnt how to speak in public with confidence. I also learnt how to deal with time pressures. There were many different competing demands on my time, which required me to be alert to any changes in policy.

I learnt a lot about potential careers within the NHS. There is a range of roles for young professionals - both clinical and non clinical based. I was mainly dealing with the non clinical side of things but I understood at the end of my time there that these are just as important as the clinical roles in many cases. I also learnt about the difficulty that the NHS faces in dealing with so many demands.

The company culture was stressful but ultimately rewarding. I felt as though those who work for the NHS do not do so for money. This helped to make the environment much better to work in as there was one common objectives amongst all staff members - to help keep the UK safe during the initial outbreak. I think that a lot of people were stressed from the anxiety that COVID generated, which was understandable but they were supported.

I enjoyed my time providing administrative support for the NHS. It was a great opportunity for me to see what life is really like maintaining the health of the UK at such a critical time. There were many different opportunities for development. I felt as though I took advantage of the experiences and skills I learnt on the job, and these will be critical as I embark on a career in science and research full time.

Yes

Often NHS roles arise due to a precise need. In this case, there was a clear need for students such as myself to provide support during the pandemic. Many people I worked with eventually wanted to go into clinical roles, but these non clinical roles are great in helping to build someone's skills set. I think that if you show your passion for helping others with their health needs, this will be good for your application.