LIVED EXPERIENCE

Everyone has positive and negative experiences in life. Positive and negative scripts. Here is one story:

The Positive Story

I grew up in a middle class family with access to water, food, education, a roof over my head and loving parents. I worked and played hard, through a traditional toolmakers apprenticeship and other jobs before gaining a place at Plymouth University on a Foundation degree course to access University. After completing that course with distinction I went on to study a Bachelors Engineering degree in Robotics and Automated Systems, and gained a 1st Class Honours degree. During my degree I carried out a placement year with the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I was assigned onto a software project team running a defence capability assessment simulator. That role required some reverse engineering, code optimisation and the development of a generic weapons systems platform model, which became successfully implemented. The Department had a disused mine-clearance vessel and NERC funding to turn it into an autonomous vessel to survey the UKs coastal waters. I took on the Lead Design role and worked through the conceptual and detailed design phases, which included specifying, tendering and purchasing a range of technology with a budget of £97k. I purchased a side-scan bathymetric sonar with inertial reference system, GPS system, wireless WAN, a sensor suite, and control and computation hardware. I wrote the software, integrated the components and began sea trials.

I decided however to use my degree to help others, so studied A-level human biology to prepare an application to the NHS. I also worked in Derriford Hospital as a porter to gain exposure that would be beneficial to my application onto the highly competitive NHS Clinical Scientist Training scheme. My application was accepted at the Royal Free Hospital and I became a Trainee Clinical Scientist. The scheme involved further study, on an MSc in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Surrey, and three hospital placements. I chose Design of Medical Electronic Equipment, Biomechanical Evaluation and Function, and Physiological Measurement.

During the Design of Medical Electronic Instrumentation placement (or DMEI), I worked and trained at St George's Hospital London in the Medical Instrumentation Unit, under the supervision of Principal Clinical Scientist Val Newey. I was set project work to develop a bone distraction implant. My task was to assess the safety aspects involved in developing an electronic implant with an active radio, in a hospital. Additionally I was tasked with conducting early stage development of a wireless power transmission system to charge the implants internal battery through the body with an external coil; and the integration of a data comms. radio.

During the Biomechanical Evaluation and Function placement I worked and trained in the Douglas Bader Gait Laboratory in Queen Mary's Hospital Roehampton, under the supervision of Consultant Clinical Scientist Professor David Ewins. I saw patients with a range of mobility difficulties, notably lower limb amputees, and adults and children with neurological impairments that benefitted from the use of Functional Electrical Stimulation. I also worked on a range of technical projects, and work to improve service delivery and raise the quality standards within the laboratory.

During the Physiological Measurement placement I returned to St George's Hospital London and worked under the supervision of Principal Clinical Scientist Mr Fred Mitchell. The placement required an in-depth understanding and exposure to a range of physiological measurements, which could be broken down as: Electrophysiological, pressure and flow. I therefore worked in the Lung Function Unit, Audiology, and the Neurophysiology Department carrying out tests with patients, doing technical project work to improve service delivery, and giving tutorials for Clinical Technologists on STEM subjects to support their progression.

The MSc was an incredible joy and privilege because we were treated to a lecture programme by experts in their fields. Surgeons, Professors, Scientists and Engineers who had made significant contributions to the development of modern medicine. I felt we were being passed the baton, so I have all their notes and stories waiting to be told.

Throughout the MSc and NHS training I sought as many opportunities as possible in order to learn as much as possible. I wanted to ensure I had the widest possible breadth of understanding in order to be as deployable as possible for the NHS.

So I additionally worked in St George's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care, Urodynamics, Vascular Ultrasound, Queen Mary's Hospital Prosthetics and Orthotics, and shadowed a specialist seating provider. I visited the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, the Royal Surrey Hospital neurology and medicine wards, the Sports Performance and Rehabilitation Centre at Roehampton University, Papworth Hospital, the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability in Roehampton, the morgue and dissection rooms of St George's Hospital, the anatomy museums at the Royal College of Surgeons, Wellcome Trust, and at each NHS Trust, in addition to Gunther Von Hagens Bodyworlds exhibition. Opportunities to attend surgical procedures were also presented through the MSc so I witnessed an anterior cruciate ligament replacement and open heart surgery (a coronary artery bypass graft).

A component of the NHS Clinical Scientist Training scheme was then to carry out a PhD, so I returned to Surrey University and conducted research and development of a new real-time biofeedback training system for people with mobility disorders.

During the PhD I thoroughly enjoyed outreach and widening participation activities, teaching and lecturing; and was also a member of the Research Ethics Committee, and journal reviewer. As my supervisors left I took on greater responsibility for the University gait laboratory, and helped colleagues with gait lab work around the UK. I then worked with Blatchfords Ltd on an EU-funded project to develop a powered exoskeleton for older people, under the incredible supervision of Professor Sir Saeed Zahedi. In that role I setup a UK-wide user test group, added biomechanics expertise to the EU team, and worked on a number of smaller technical and research projects for the company.

After the PhD I chose to work in a Specialist School and College for children with disabilities, because I was aware much of my experience was very technical. Following that I returned to Surrey University on a Research Fellowship and carried out work looking at the mobility challenges faced by the aging population.

Following that I secured a post at Guy's Hospital at the One Small Step Gait Laboratory in the Evelina Children's Hospital and worked there for a few years supporting the mobility assessment of children with cerebral palsy. At the same time I lectured on the MSc course at King's College. I left the NHS due to mine and my fathers ill-health, and carried out development work on a consultancy basis for a colleague at St Thomas' Hospital, supporting his PhD research, producing a new dynamic vestibular acuity assessment method.

I returned to Surrey University as an Experimental Officer in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences supporting technical development work in the electronics workshop, the Surrey Space Centre, and the Environmental Flow Research Centre before burning out.

Covid-19 then happened and I returned to the NHS in response to the call by the HCPC for returning members of staff.