THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2009
jobs.telegraph.co.uk
J 5
The Daily Telegraph
PATHS TO SUCCESS CAREERS IN HEALTHCARE
THE DENTIST STARTING SALARY: £28,000
N
ilesh Patel, 29, spent his childhood at his father’s small newsagent’s store, and loved the bustle of the shop and the friendships his family forged with the locals. It was a desire to recreate that social interaction, twinned with his ability as a scientist, that prompted Nilesh to choose a career in dentistry after he left school. “As a general practice dentist I get to watch families grow and change, and the work I do can make a lasting impression on people’s lives,” says Nilesh. “Sometimes people are really nervous when they come to the dentist — it may be that they’ve had a bad experience in the past — but if you take time and pay attention to a patient’s needs, you can quickly gain their confidence. This makes what I do constantly rewarding.” After gaining the required grades of two As and one B at A-level, including chemistry and biology, Nilesh completed his five-year bachelor of dental surgery degree at Bristol University. This was followed by one year of vocational training at a practice in Nottingham. “The training is very challenging and you have to be dedicated and determined to make it through the course,” says Nilesh “The first two years were very academic
‘As a general practice dentist I get to watch families grow, and my work can make a lasting impression on people’s lives’
and then the last three were more hands-on, but you are constantly being assessed.” After finishing his vocational training, Nilesh stayed on for another year at the Nottingham practice as an associate before moving to a new job in London. In 2007 Nilesh fulfilled a lifetime ambition of buying his own practice in the village of Haddenham in Buckinghamshire, raising the necessary finance from banks with little difficulty. “I always wanted to have my own practice, as it would give me the opportunity to grow my own patient list and be in control of my own situation,” says Nilesh. “There are risks, of course, and sometimes things have been financially tough, but I am now reaping the benefits of all my hard work and I wouldn’t change it for anything.” Two years on, the practice has two hygienists, a therapist and an expanding list of both NHS and private patients. In an effort to build even stronger links with the local community, Nilesh also visits schools and retirement homes in his neighbourhood to talk about the importance of oral hygiene. He believes that one of the greatest challenges for new dental graduates is increased competition. “More dentists than ever are qualifying nowadays and so the competition for jobs is stiff,” he says. “But if you are prepared to work hard and be fully committed, you can have a really rewarding career.” GABRIELLE COLLETT-WHITE
THE SURGEON STARTING SALARY FOR A HOSPITAL CONSULTANT: £74,504 UPWARDS
J
oy Odili, 37, recently qualified as a consultant plastic surgeon and works at St George’s NHS Trust in Tooting, London. When Joy left medical college in 1994, all she wanted to become was a plastic surgeon. “It was plastic surgery, or nothing at all,” she laughs. “I love it because you
get to fix people. You get to fix holes and make them look like they were never there in the first place. It’s very exciting, and it fulfils the artistry side in me.” Now, after 15 years, Joy has made it. As an NHS consultant plastic surgeon at St George’s, she deals with skin cancer patients as well as undertaking general
plastic surgery operations such as reconstructive breast surgery. Joy says she gets tremendous satisfaction, not only from doing her job, but also from the impact it can have on people’s lives. “You get to restore people’s self-confidence and quality of life as well as their appearance. If a patient has had a mastectomy due to breast cancer, you get to give them a breast that looks and feels like a real one. Or if someone has severe burns and, say, an arm has fused together, if you can free it that’s a huge thing. You get to make people look normal again, and restore functionality.” Becoming a consultant requires years of experience. Joy attended medical college at Glasgow University, then spent three years as a house officer, covering ear, nose and throat, vascular and breast surgery, as well as doing a six-month stint as an anatomy dissector, teaching medical students. All this taught her about anatomy in great detail. She then became a registrar and spent six years specialising in plastic surgery, during which she worked as a paediatric plastic surgeon at Great Ormond Street hospital in London. “That’s where some of the most courageous people are,” says Joy. “And if children are being brave, you have to be brave.” She also did two years of research into malignant melanomas at Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood, for which she was awarded a professorship by the Royal College of Surgeons. In February she became a consultant. “As a plastic surgeon I get to make a huge difference to people’s lives,” explains Joy, . “In the case of cancer patients it’s not always a happy ending, but you have to help people stay positive and give them hope and quality of life whatever the circumstances.” NATASHA MANN
THE IT CONSULTANT STARTING SALARY: £25,000
G
areth Dellenty, 29, became fascinated by IT while he was still at school. “I was good at maths and science and I developed an interest in computers, taking them apart, putting them back together, building my own and learning to program,” he says. “After leaving school I went to college and studied computer sciences,
doing a National Diploma and HND at Stratford-upon-Avon College.” Gareth’s career took him into IT within the Health Industry with Alliance Medical, where he spent six years as an IT manager, and as he progressed he became more and more interested in IT and business, gaining technical qualifications in Microsoft and Cisco as well as project management training, such as PRINCE II. At the beginning of 2009 Gareth joined iSOFT, the largest supplier of healthcare IT in the UK. “I work in the Solutions Office. It’s an exciting and varied role. We watch the technology markets, the strategic direction of the NHS, listen to our
‘Basically, I’m an IT geek with a good business mind’
customers and their needs, then combine all this information and decide on the overall strategy and direction of key initiatives,” says Gareth. “So in my role as a solutions development manager, if someone comes to me with an innovative new idea or wants to move into a new area, I will help them with the business side by assessing market sizes, the competitive environment, different strategies and by providing financial appraisals. “Basically I’m an IT geek with a business mind. These ideas can come from anywhere really — from inside and outside the company, from doctors, hospital IT directors, engineers, inside or outside of the NHS — and I will help
people bring them to fruition.” Gareth sees healthcare IT as on the rise. “It’s a very attractive sector because it’s a specialist area where you are really benefiting patients. IT is now so critical in healthcare that you can see that you’re making a real difference. There is also lots of growth and opportunity in health IT because the NHS and private sector healthcare providers face many challenges that IT can help solve.” ADAM RAMSAY
@
JOBS ONLINE: jobs.telegraph.co.uk/ careers-insider
Thor Specialities (UK) Limited is a highly successful and expanding subsidiary of a multi-national group of companies manufacturing speciality chemicals for the coatings, personal care and textile industries. With an established position supplying preservatives in to the personal care market, our continuing expansion programme and business growth has resulted in an opportunity arising for an experienced and highly motivated
SALES MANAGER PERSONAL CARE DIVISION Reporting to the UK Business Manager, the successful candidate should be educated to degree level with a strong scientific background, have at least 10 years experience within the personal care industry and must be able to demonstrate a clear knowledge and understanding of both the technical and commercial aspects of this speciality area. Within this role you will have overall responsibility for the continuing development of our personal care business, devising and implementing a complete business strategy incorporating both the development of key accounts and the identification of new product and application opportunities in order to strengthen the Company’s position in the personal care market. This is an exceptional opportunity for an enthusiastic individual who can demonstrate excellent communication, motivation and leadership skills to make their mark within this expanding organisation. An attractive benefit package commensurate with position will be offered. Candidates should apply in writing or via e-mail, enclosing a CV covering letter to; Human Resources, Thor Specialities (UK) Limited, Wincham Avenue, Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 6GB E-mail: sarahg@thor.uk.com Closing Date: Friday 10th July 2009
Southampton University Hospitals Trust (SUHT) is the 8th largest Healthcare Organisation in the UK. We are a stable, vibrant and well-established teaching hospital, serving a local population of 560,000 and providing regional services for a wider population of over three million people. In support of the SUHT Strategic 20:20 Vision, we are expanding two of our World Class Regional Services: The Southampton Cardiovascular and Thoracic Centre and the Wessex Neurosciences Centre. This is an exciting time for us and we are looking for key staff to join our high performance multi-professional teams, to ensure our continued success within these dynamic and challenging services. If you have the experience, expertise and drive to be a part of our continued success in specialty, or the enthusiasm, motivation and desire to develop the skills required to maintain our World-Class Services, this is your opportunity. We are committed to providing both personal and professional development opportunities contributing to and supporting your career progression. To facilitate this we have an extremely proactive Education, Training and Development Team. The commitment, knowledge and skill of our staff is integral in delivering a high quality service to our patients. We are waiting to welcome you to the team........ To find out more and apply, please visit: www.jobs.nhs.uk and search on the relevant job ref. Ref No: Ref No: Ref No: Ref No: Ref No: Ref No: 188-S177 188-S178/184 188-S182 188-S179 188-S180/183 188-S181 Neurosurgery Nursing: Band 5 Cardiac Nursing Band: 5/6 Cardiac Physiologists: Bands 6/7 Cardiac Physiologists: Band 5 Neurophysiologists: Band 6/7 Theatre Staff: Band 5
In addition to the above roles, forming a key part of our service improvement, an additional Band 8a Neurophysiologist role is also being created. For further information on all the above roles please contact: further information please contact our Corporate HR Specialist Services Team: corphrspecialistservice or telephone: 023 8079 4488.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2009 CAREERS IN The Daily Telegraph jobs.telegraph.co.uk J 3 A rosy outlook While the wider economy may be in need of a cure, healthcare remains robust and full of opportunities, finds Thea Jourdan T he public healthcare sector has enjoyed over a decade
J 4 jobs.telegraph.co.uk THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2009 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CAREERS IN HEALTHCARE MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY The Daily Telegraph SCIENCE PHOTOLIBRARY Tomorrow’s world The future of our health looks bright thanks to a UK pipeline brimful of new ideas, says Adam Ramsay A tiny heart-rate moni
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2009 jobs.telegraph.co.uk J 5 The Daily Telegraph PATHS TO SUCCESS CAREERS IN HEALTHCARE THE DENTIST STARTING SALARY: £28,000 N ilesh Patel, 29, spent his childhood at his father’s small newsagent’s store, and loved the bustle of the shop and the friend
J 6 jobs.telegraph.co.uk THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2009 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CAREERS IN HEALTHCARE PRIVATE MEDICAL INSURANCE The Daily Telegraph ADVERTISING ARCHIVES; GETTY WORLD-CLASS HEALTHCARE B upa is the UK market leader in health and care, with 10 million customers in more than 190 countries
