Working for the Bank (pt1)

No, I haven't had a career change...

I simply work for NHS Professionals. In their own words

"NHS Professionals Special Health Authority works in partnership with NHS Trusts to provide high quality flexible staff to Acute, Primary Care and Mental Health organizations across England.

As part of the NHS we are in a unique position to offer staff the flexible working arrangements they want whilst ensuring Trusts achieve the best value possible for their flexible staffing spend."

Now it sounds like a wonderful idea...when a ward is short staffed, they can call NHS Professionals (NHSP) and request "high quality flexible staff." In fact from reading their website you may think that they are the knights in shining amour that have come to save the sinking ship HMS NHS...but you'd be wrong.

When I started working as a HCA I was just 18 years old. Wet behind the ears with no real idea of what a HCA was. NHSP as it is now didn't exist.

I started working as a HCA because I wanted a career as a doctor and I figured the experience would be good for me. You don't really want to embark on a medical course if you haven't any clinical experience. (I think that dropout rates for medical schools could be lowered by insisting on students doing some work in hospitals before they start, but that's a subject for another post!)

When I inquired at the careers office at my local hospital about what jobs an unqualified wannabe doctor could do part time they suggested HCAing. One of the instantly attractive things for me was that I didn't have to commit all my Saturdays to working. The nice careers lady explained that the hospital ran a service that provided cover for wards that were for whatever reason short staffed. I could call and book shifts when I wanted them and there was very little commitment. Although they couldn't guarantee that I would get shifts when I wanted them it didn't matter. It was perfect. During the holidays I could pick up extra shifts and if I had plans I didn't have to worry about letting them down I just wouldn't book shifts.

I signed up there and then.