Heartbeat: Distinction all round for Chloe Burling
August 20, 2021
We have many high flying apprentices across SWB and Chloe Burling falls perfectly into this category having recently attained a distinction in her Level 2 customer service practitioner apprenticeship.
Chloe Burling who was described as “being able to adapt her approach to meet the needs and expectations of her patients” in her Highfield apprenticeship assessment, supports the phlebotomy department with an array tasks and duties. However to become more efficient at her job, Chloe felt it was vital she complete an apprenticeship.
She said: “I thought completing an apprenticeship whilst working in the phlebotomy department would be a great opportunity to kick start my career within the NHS and the Trust; and give the foundations to work towards my goals.
“During my apprenticeship I have learnt the best ways to communicate with my colleagues and patients effectively. I’ve also trained in the area of phlebotomy and I’ve gained more knowledge and understanding of how the organisation works as a whole.”
Chloe has faced challenges whilst completing her apprenticeship and working full time but knows it will prove beneficial.
She added: “Trying to balance working full time with apprenticeship work and learning how to manage my time to stay on top of all the apprenticeship work was initially difficult however, the phlebotomy team and the widening participation apprenticeship team were always super supportive with anything I needed.
“If I was to give advice to anyone who was unsure about completing an apprenticeship I would just say if it is something you think you want to do then just go for it and don’t be scared. Help is always available and the support network whilst completing your studies is fantastic.”
Our phlebotomy department have really embraced the apprenticeship programme and are extremely supportive as in helping our apprentices achieve success.
This is no more evident than with Chloe whose improved skills reflect positively on the department and ultimately improve the service. Chloe played a key role in helping implement the appointment system in phlebotomy during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Suki Atkar, Phlebotomy and Reception Manager works closely with Chloe on a daily basis believes she has grown into the team due to being keen to learn and continuously working hard.
Suki said: “Chloe is always willing to learn and adapt especially during the pandemic.”
The phlebotomy team are real advocates of apprentices, especially encouraging development of customer care skills as these are skills that are vital in a department where there are many encounters with different stakeholders on all levels.
When asked about ‘growing your own’ phlebotomy felt this was fundamental, for the team’s success.
Suki added: “Growing our own means we are able to mould apprentices to meet specific needs whilst meeting service expectations.
“If an apprentice grows within the team they form good working relationships with their colleagues and with other members of staff within the Trust. They also build an excellent rapport with the patients over time. This has shown over the last five years or so of having apprentices in the phlebotomy team who have remained with the department after completing their apprenticeship.”
If you are interested in completing an apprenticeship in 2021 please email swbh.apprenticeship@nhs.net. We also have an array of degree and higher level apprenticeships available so if this is of interest to you, please get in touch.