Edited by
Lisa Taylor
Occupational Therapy Lecturer
University of East Anglia
This edition first published 2016 © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
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Cover image: Meaden Creative
Stephanie Allen
Leadership skills facilitator and coach, The Training Spa, Norwich, UK
David Dowdeswell-Allaway
Freelance writer, trainer and facilitator, Norwich, UK
Professor James Gazzard
Associate Dean for Postgraduate Taught Courses, Enterprise and Engagement, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
Adrienne Jolly
Careers Adviser (Arts & Humanities), Career Service, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
Jonathan Larner
Physiotherapy Course Director, School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
Dr Rosemarie Mason
Course Director for BSc in Occupational Therapy, School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
Neil Sellen
Leadership & OD Team, Health Education East of England, Fulbourn, Cambridge, UK
Dr Lisa Taylor
Occupational Therapy Lecturer & Academic Employability Lead, School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
Not long after I qualified as a physiotherapist, I began to realise that I needed to do more than simply hone and develop my clinical skills if I was to be successful in my vocation – that being simply to make a difference to people’s lives. It wasn’t about ambition or success, it was about employability. If only this book had been available to me then, I would have been able to focus more quickly on what I needed to do!
A number of phrases stand out when reading this book: ‘personal responsibility’ and ‘going the extra mile’. Being a professional healthcare clinician is so much more than clinical competence and this book takes you through what you need to develop in order to become a well-rounded professional – even exploring what being professional means – all of which makes you more employable. I would particularly draw your attention to the chapter on business skills, simply because it is quite possibly the section that you will feel less inclined to read or that you feel has less relevance to health care. In fact, the opposite is true! I have interviewed hundreds of clinicians of all tribes for jobs over my career and these business skills are definitely what are more and more sought after today.
On a more basic level, understanding the healthcare context in which you are working is vital to ensuring that what you are doing is relevant and will make the difference you want. As you start your career, appreciating that you will not be working in a vacuum shows a level of maturity – and makes you more employable!
All of the above, and more, require you taking personal responsibility – no one else can do this for you. You cannot expect others to nurture and develop you if you do not do it for yourself and this does require additional effort.
This brings me to the second point of ‘going the extra mile’. If you want to be more employable, this is what you will need to do – do that bit more – and it is an investment that will pay dividends in the long run. People talk about those that are successful as being ‘lucky’. I believe you make your own luck and this book gives you a brilliant framework for just doing a bit more to develop into a successful, rounded clinician who will get noticed and become ‘lucky’!
I sincerely commend this book to you and really only wish that it had been available to me at the beginning of my clinical career but also at numerous points on my journey when I felt stuck.
Karen Middleton has been a regular commentator on health policy and before her current position was chief health professions officer at NHS England and the Department of Health – the Government’s most senior adviser on the allied health professions.
Many students may go through their university education without a thought about their employability. The lack of attention paid to employability is surprising given the changing health and social care environment that graduates will be entering, wherever they are in the world. Awareness of employability is key in preparing and evidencing what you have to offer employing organisations. Employability awareness is of crucial importance throughout education if healthcare graduates are to maximise their employment potential. Individuals need to ensure that they keep abreast of the requirements and opportunities within the world of work as the health and social care environment is constantly changing. Ill prepared graduates are less likely to be able to provide evidence or be able to confidently articulate their employability when it comes to applying for jobs. To our knowledge this is the first book that provides you with key topics relating to healthcare employability in one book. The style of the book encourages you to embark on a personal journey of employability – reflecting and acting upon the knowledge that you have acquired. Having read and engaged with the content of this book you will have generated evidence and confidence to articulate your employability.
Trying to answer the question of ‘What is Employability?’ continues to throw up as many questions as it answers! A discussion of the history and concept of employability is presented in the first chapter of this book. But, in essence:
Employability is a lifelong journey and although this book is predominantly targeted at healthcare pre-registration students and early career healthcare professionals, the guiding principles delivered within it are relevant for many healthcare practitioners, however far along their employability journey they are. Additionally, those involved with healthcare education will find the information presented useful to support and facilitate the development of their student’s employability. Many of the contextual examples in this book relate to the United Kingdom but the principles are transferable for health professionals regardless of where they are working in the world.
This book will provide you with information on topics that are most pertinent to enhance your employability. It will give you time to consider where you are and where you want to be in relation to your employability, which will be crucial in determining your career path. There is the opportunity for reflection as you read each chapter, so that the book becomes a handbook of employability that you can work through individually to maximise your employability potential. Suggested interview questions are posed at the end of each chapter for your consideration. The final chapter in the book provides an opportunity for you to consolidate your learning through a series of activities.
This book is divided into a number of chapters relating to key aspects of employability:
It is hoped that you will find this book useful in your employability journey – at whatever stage you are and in whatever environment you are planning to or are working within. The reflections as you read and the consolidation of your learning through the activities provided in the final chapter will provide you with the evidence and confidence to articulate your own employability.
University of East Anglia