Changing career direction - a case study
Considering a change of direction? As a Geneva Health Agency Nurse Navneeta Reddy was in the perfect position to 'try before you buy'. Here she tells about her experience of changing specialty.
I moved to London last year in December. And since getting my
registration here, I have been working in the wards and
occasionally in the emergency departments. Although my background
was emergency, I thoroughly enjoyed working in the wards. However I
was tired of doing the 12hr shifts. It left very little time for
socialising and since the whole point of moving to UK was to see
what UK and Europe had to offer I asked Geneva Health if there were
any jobs going which required normal hours. I was forwarded an
advertisement for a research job.
I applied for the job and was successful in getting it. I had no
experience in research nursing. My main role for the time being is
data extraction. The other nurses are involved in clinical trials.
There are a few studies going on within this department.
When I started this new role, I had no idea about the speciality I
was going to work in. I had never heard of Lysosomal storage
disorders. I took this job knowing that I would definitely expand
my knowledge. Although I'm not on a career pathway, I thought this
was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn new things and make new
friends. I work with an amazing bunch of people.
I have found this role to be relatively comfortable. Initially
there was a lot to learn, for example data entry into systems I'm
not familiar with. There is a strong support network, which
definitely makes my life easier.
This role is definitely challenging, as data extracting can be
very monotonous. However two months on, I'm not bored. I love
working here. I learn new things about this rare genetic disorder
everyday! And I'm sure this experience will most certainly help me
in the future.
Navnetta Reddy, Geneva Health Agency Nurse, November 2010.