Page 28 - QARANC Vol 20 No 1 2022

28 The Gazette QARANC Association
‘The course was intense and required a lot of study’
Pte E Skeels shares her journey from being a reservist soldier with 3 Royal Anglian to her present posting at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey.
‘In March 2020, at the height of pandemic, I volunteered to mobilise and was trained to run COVID-19 Mobile Testing Units. I enjoyed this opportunity and received an award for an outstanding contribution and essay on leadership analysis.
I previously studied for a degree in teaching and education and a Level 4 in PTSD counselling and advanced cognitive behavioural therapy and from this, I found my love for the medical field.
In March 2021, my transfer over to the regular army had begun and that July I joined the team of health care assistants studying at DMS Whittington.
Within the first two weeks, we began studying for our level 3 care certificate which is a series of written assignments including safeguarding, infection and prevention control, duty of care and many more.
We had many lessons studying the body systems such as: cardiovascular, respiratory, integumentary, skeletal, digestive, urinary and the nervous System.
On completing the class 3 exam I was qualified to take part in a four-week placement at Queen’s Hospital, Burton, where I put my skills into practice.
I have become confident in my role, and it has provided a steppingstone into my career which will have a positive impact when starting at my first JHG. I was allowed to get hands on within my placement and take observations, check blood sugar levels, remove cannulas, and complete last offices.
The course was intense at times and a lot of studying was needed, but SSgt Fiddy and Sgt Evans spent as much time as possible on camp, on zoom or via calls, to support our learning if extra time was needed to understand a topic.
Revising for tests needs self- motivation and self-discipline but the training team broke down the course with fun team building activities. These included a trip to Drayton Manor
Theme Park, The Festival of Lights at Lichfield Cathedral, and a trip to the National Memorial Arboretum.
One of the day trips during the course is to Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) in Birmingham which is one of the hospitals available for a posting. This allowed the chance to speak to other military health care assistants, view the hospital and the wards and observe a “day in the life”.
As a tri-service camp, this allows recruits from all areas of the military to train together. I have enjoyed having this opportunity as it has allowed me to make friends within the medical and dental fields of the army, navy and RAF.
I am extremely happy to have received my first choice in posting at Frimley Park Hospital which will give me a good balance of clinical experience as well as still having the opportunities to complete the Combat Service Support (CSS) role within the field.’