Dear Oluranti
I am not sure you appreciate that there are many students in the same boat and many make similar appeals on JISC. I would suggest that there may have been
better ways to have gone about this.
You have suggested that your person skills would make you a good student of OH and for sure there will be transferrable skills.
However, what you pick up during your OH training does NOT, sadly (and Anne Harris will confirm this) fully prepare you for the role of the OH in terms of practical
skills.
Many of your peers have gone out of their way to get some of these skills before applying for the course. By doing so they can make a valuable contribution
to any OH team to offset the resources they ‘remove’ from needing support, supervision and training in situ. Some have spent time working as an OHPN before going on the training.
By practical skills I mean things like spirometry, audiometry, immunisation, and phlebotomy skills.
So in a world of limited opportunity and loads of competition the best way is to offer more.
One of the reasons that I am currently offering a maternity leave fixed term contract which has been geared to help someone in training or newly qualified (but
they must be able to do 4 days per week as a minimum) is to help the OH trainee or newly trained to get some more experience. However immunisation and phlebotomy experience and skills is a core requirement in any NHS OH unit.
You have a bit of time, I suggest that perhaps you contact an OH agency and see if you can get some work as a practise nurse if you have some of these skills
or see about some skills training.
Regards
Sue
Susan Gorton | OH Nurse Manager | Occupational Health Department | Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Level 3, Ormond House, 26-27 Boswell
St., London WC1N 3JZ |020 7405 9200 Ext 0247 | DD to OHD 020 78138554 | Direct Fax 020 78138355 | Mobile 07833294568
Please be advised that all e-mail communication relevant to assisting in the management of the OH process will be printed and entered into the individual's OH
file or copied and added as an electronic note on their electronic OH record. This may therefore be disclosed under the Data Protection Act (1998).
I am writing regarding below email.
It seems my email regarding a placement has not been acknowledged. I would like to emphasise that for me to succeed in this course I must secure a placement before the course begins in
September.
I would really appreciate it if anyone will acknowledge this email and help me.
I am a trained and licensed registered nurse with 11 years of experience as a recovery and assessment theatre practitioner and I am currently
one of the senior staff nurse in my department. My current role involves admitting patient for surgery, recover patient from anesthesia and discharge patient after assessing their fitness to go home.
I have being given an admission at London South Bank University to study Occupational Health Nursing in September 2013. As part of the requirement for the offer, I will need to be on work placement in an Occupational
health setting as this is mandatory for the course. I am still looking for a work placement but no luck so far. I want to enhance my experience and exposure to Occupational Health and will really appreciate it if anyone could be kind enough to assist.
The nature of my job has prepared me for this placement because it requires initiative, self motivation, client's confidentiality, providing accurate and needed information, good communication
and listening skills and other range of skills gained whilst working as a theatre nurse. For Occupational Health, an understanding that workers are a key business asset and essential to productivity and profitability, therefore the workers must be well at
work both physically and mentally. Therefore, I am aware of the responsibilities and opportunities available to students on placement in the work place.
I will be happy to discuss this further on how best I can fulfill your expectation if offered an opportunity for a placement? I currently reside in the South East part of London but I am
happy to travel within any part in London.
I will be looking forward to hearing from you.
Kind Regards,
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