Healthcare Science Week 2022
Published on 17/03/2022
As part of Healthcare Science Week (14 - 20 March 2022), University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) is showcasing the inspirational story of 25-year-old former housekeeping assistant, Charna O’Neil.
Healthcare science is a profession that includes more than 40 areas of applied science, which support the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a huge number of medical conditions, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Healthcare scientists provide the scientific backbone of the NHS and are essential members of the healthcare team, often hidden gems.
When Charna O’Neill joined UHB as a housekeeping assistant, she never imagined that six years later she would be a cardiac healthcare assistant, having recently completed the Level 2 Healthcare Science Assistant course, with distinction. On a day-to-day basis, Charna works with a team of cardiac physiologists and other healthcare professionals in the Cardiac department, assisting with tasks such as performing electrocardiograms (ECGs) and blood pressure monitoring.
In April, Charna will be starting the Level 4 Healthcare Science Associate programme and plans to continue working at the hospital while completing this training. Charna said: “I am really proud to be an apprentice in healthcare science. I am fascinated by the human heart and really think that I have found my vocation. It has not been easy, I have a young daughter and I have been managing work and studying, but it will be totally worth it. My main goal is to perform echocardiograms (ECHO), as I find them very fascinating. I’m really looking forward to starting the course in April, which will bring me a step closing to reaching this goal.”
Brendan Cooper, President of the Academy for Healthcare Science and Consultant Clinical Scientist atUHB added: “The role of healthcare science within the NHS is really important. A lot of the work that our colleagues do is often behind the scenes and can sometimes go unnoticed. This week is a great opportunity to shine a light on those individuals and raise awareness about the many careersthat exist in healthcare science.”
Charna’s story is just one of many we will be spotlighting this week. Follow our social media channels to read about some of the amazing staff within the Healthcare Science team at UHB.
