My dad became deaf at the age of 8 after catching meningitis and both my parents were teachers at a school for deaf children in Brighton. The first job I applied for was working in the charity sector organising sign language interpreters for deaf people attending hospital appointments, interviews, training courses and education settings. This was a world I knew well and I enjoyed playing a role in setting up a local centre to support communication for deaf people.
When looking for the next step in my career I was interested in working in the field of education. I started at the University of Brighton in 1997 working at the Institute of Nursing and Midwifery organising the pre-registration nursing diploma course. Since then, I have worked in the areas of course delivery and assessment in several schools at the Universities of Brighton and Sussex before arriving at BSMS in 2006.
Whilst at work I love a process and a to-do list. At home I am much less organised and enjoy time exploring different crafts (anything with wool is a favourite), swimming, getting out and about at home and on holiday with family and friends as well as some cheesy pop!
When I was growing up, many of my family were teachers and I thought I wanted to follow their path. Career advice wasn’t a big thing at school so it took a bit of time to work out what I wanted to do – summer jobs helped me explore other avenues of work. I found that I really enjoyed planning and delivering services while focusing on how to improve services for those using them. I’m really pleased to have ended up working in education although not as a teacher.
Whilst working in the School of Engineering at the University of Brighton I heard about the new medical school and the work opportunities it offered, developing a new and evolving course. Having enjoyed working in university departments whose courses led students to obtain professional qualifications as well as a degree I thought that the Curriculum Manager role at BSMS would enable me to support others in reaching their professional goals as well as give me an opportunity to be involved in developing course support and delivery for students.
My first job at BSMS was Curriculum Manager for Phase 3 (Year 5 and Foundation Year). However, I moved to a new role in 2012 which included setting up an assessment team to organise OSCEs and national exams for students on the BMBS course. Over my years at BSMS I have worked in several other areas including regulations, appeals and quality assurance.
My current role, Student Systems and Assessment Manager is an interesting one. I have a team who organises and delivers OSCE assessments for the BM BS and Physician Associate courses. The team are involved with the exams from the beginning – organising station selection and testing, as well as delivery logistics for venues and students. They run the exam with the Clinical Skills team and faculty on the day and finally produce the results. I enjoy working with my highly skilled and supportive team to deliver 12 intensive day-long exams over the summer months.
I am also the school’s project lead, introducing a tailored student record-keeping system for student assessment records. The nature of medical assessments has meant that we have had to adapt the university record system to fit our assessments. We have spent 18 months modifying the system to capture BSMS assessment information and tested the system using legacy assessment data back to 2018/19. The project is now developing system reports to share results with students and staff including personal tutors which will help with examination boards, student ranking and transcripts. This project is an exciting collaboration with the University of Brighton which will hopefully provide a streamlined pathway for staff and students to review assessment information.
I work closely with the school offices and faculty in the areas of assessments, course development and regulations – it is rewarding to work with colleagues to adapt and improve the course and systems for our students.
I work with an amazing team of people across BSMS and it is the support that we can give each other that makes working here really enjoyable. My role is varied and I enjoy that no two days are ever the same. Being a ‘cell’ that is part of the ‘body’ that trains doctors to support people in times of need is very rewarding. One of our graduates, now a consultant in Eastbourne who I met when he was looking after my mother, is an amazing exemplar of the high-quality graduates BSMS produces.
The Assessment Team are already planning OSCEs for the next academic year – the first OSCE will be Year 5 Finals in January 2023. Planning for OSCEs starts at least six months in advance. The Student Systems project will be focusing on the result input and exam board reporting over the next three months with the aim that the new reports can be trialled at next summer’s exam boards. Although this work is time-consuming at the moment, I am hoping that the rewards will be seen by staff and students in the next year.
My focus at the moment is establishing a way for BSMS to integrate SITS (student record keeping system) as part of school office processes to support their work on a daily basis. Longer term the project will share the project developments with other medical schools to enhance how they manage and keep assessment records.
I recently celebrated my 20th anniversary working for the university! This is quite an achievement and looking back I have enjoyed all of my roles in higher education and working with such supportive people.
When the Assessment Team was established in 2012, one of the first projects I managed was the introduction of an electronic marking software for OSCEs. We started using Practique software on iPads for examiners to mark OSCEs in 2015. We have worked with Practique on system developments over the years. Students now receive detailed written feedback after an OSCE to support them developing their skills through the course. Using iPads for marking has saved the team many days preparing and printing mark sheets and hours of scanning and calculating results.
In terms of people that inspire me, both of my parents lived rich and fulfilling lives with very positive outlooks. They took many opportunities available to them, seeking out new interests, friends and enjoyment of life. Their skills at finding opportunity and positivity in life, especially at some challenging times are an inspiration to me and hopefully something that I carry on myself.
There have been two occasions at BSMS when we have had to reschedule an OSCE at very short notice. The first time was in May 2008 when we were delivering an OSCE for our first cohort of students. The campus at the University of Brighton, Falmer was evacuated mid-way through an OSCE because it was thought that an unexploded device had been found when the foundations for Checkland was being built. The second time was due to Covid-19 in March 2020. When it became clear that a lockdown was imminent the final OSCE was moved forward by 10 days. In both situations a revised OSCE had to be arranged and delivered with 3 days' notice – this showed the strength in the relationships and teamwork between faculty, clinical skills and professional services staff at BSMS. Students also played a key role in being open and understanding of the situation.
The advice I would give my younger self would be to be as kind to yourself as you are to others. We can all put pressure on ourselves to reach the next goal, be the best, and rush about but sometimes we need to give ourselves a breather, slow down and be kind to ourselves. Be it a relaxing cuppa before tackling a piece of work, giving yourself space to think through your next step or doing something that makes you happy and energises you. Also, nothing is a mistake – life is full of learning opportunities which will enable you to move on and try something else.
The advice I would give other women early in their careers would be to take time to investigate what you want to do, try different paths, and find others to discuss their experiences, the unknown isn’t always as scary as it seems. Find and spend time doing the things away from work that give you energy and sustain you will help you maintain balance in your life.