COVID vaccine/testing
- I worked in the dispensary at a vaccination hub during weekends.
- More opportunities to gain experience of verifying new laboratory tests.
- Supporting vaccine roll out and regional lighthouse covid testing laboratories.
- Vaccination hub training for aseptic technique.
- Worked on the vaccine hub manipulating and drawing up doses.
General
- Adhering to infection control protocols. Leadership qualities helping the department adapt to an unprecedented scenario.
- Analysis of some changes made in hospital due to Covid restrictions.
- As a trainee cohort, we organised and rostered ourselves to cover several clinical shifts.
- Covid required me to adapt to a new training plan and gain experience through other means. However, this disruption was accounted for well by individuals responsible for training at my Trust.
- Dedicated structured study time away from the workplace. Video call software was used to facilitate tutorials/supervisions.
- Fit testing.
- Helped on the phones in ICU, was able to use my experience of talking to patients.
- I became more involved in routine service work.
- I helped run the whole service during the first lockdown, then management realised I might need to be retained and made any excuse available to remove me from the timetable and remove any business case.
- I was redeployed to the wards for a few weeks during the 2nd wave.
- I was working on the wards helping with COVID.
- ICU redeployment.
- Many small projects, and leadership opportunities in Point of Care Testing.
- More acute, ward.
- Our department went to reduced rotas with small teams. I was able to take on more responsibility, covering sections and delegating tasks.
- Partake in DB shifts, assisted in laboratory when they were short staffed.
- Performed clinical tasks at a greater rate to allow flexibility in the rota.
- Redeployment to ICU.
- Spent more time on clinical work than required of direct entry trainees.
- Training as back up cover in the laboratory.
- Where appropriate, I was able to fill in for technical roles that I had previously acquired.
- Worked with bronze command for a day to cover staff.
Life Sciences
- Clinical assay evaluation, verification and validation.
- Completed a point of care placement providing new test devices to frontline staff.
- I assisted with microarray analysis within the Genomics department.
- Telephone counselling.
- I had the opportunity to get in depth knowledge of point of care and was able to apply the skills I had learnt to train others.
- I set up COVID antibodies testing and POCT COVID PCR testing.
- I validated the covid antibody assay and participated in the collection of data for transfusion audits.
- I was able to actively contribute to the laboratory because of the shortage of staff.
- I was able to lead on verifying a new assay to detect SARS.
- I was authorising haemostasis results on COVID patients during the pandemic at its peak. My research project also included COVID patients.
- I was involved in developing new assays to detect SARS.
- Involved in SARS.
- Molecular practice.
- Setting up an antibody assay.
- Verification of antibody assays.
- Was able to get extra experience in the flow cytometry laboratory.
Nightingale redeployment
- Nightingale experience, SOPs, training, leadership etc.
- I got to run clinics on my own whilst my colleagues were redeployed in the third lockdown. I got to work in an enormous field hospital (the Nightingale) in the first lockdown.
- I had an opportunity to train in using ventilators for the nightingale in the Excel. This was available to healthcare science students.
- I was redeployed temporarily to the Nightingale Hospital in London. I trained there and remained on standby for a number of weeks. (I was never called in due to lower than anticipated numbers of patients).
- I was redeployed to the Nightingale hospital in a clinical and technical role, managing patients on ventilators in conjunction with th the intensive care doctors and nurses. I was also redeployed within my trust in a leadership role during the second surge. Both of these experiences were instrumental in my development.
- POCT coordinator at London Nightingale.
Physical Sciences
- I worked with the team of clinical scientists at the London Nightingale to manage vents and solve problems on the wards I was team lead across the ICUs at GSTT.
- Opportunity to work on 3D printing of PPE.
- Was redeployed to ITU where I did QA and other things on equipment.
Physiological Sciences
- Helped in ECG which I was signed off for.
- More chance for portable scans and running of lists on my own for inpatients.
- Worked on the Vascular Access team in ITU.