Nikita

My first rotation at Project SEARCH was as an Administrative Assistant in the Eye Treatment Centre at Whipps Cross. This has been really good because I have worked hard on learning new skills which have in turn boosted my confidence. In particular, I have used important skills such as teamwork and listening.

In order to improve my role as administrative assistant, I completed CRS training. CRS stands for Care Records Service and is the system that the NHS uses for patient information. I now have my CRS card so I can work on the computer to look for patients’ details to confirm their appointments.

Aside from my CRS training, I have already learnt a number of transferrable skills from my first job rotation. For example, I have been scanning and laminating documents, folding letters and putting them into envelopes, taking phone calls, filing and collecting notes from medical records.

I really enjoyed working in the secretaries’ office because the team were very nice and helpful to me. They would always take the time to explain things to me if I was unsure what to do. As a result, I developed lots of new skills related to working as part of a team. However, I still need to be better at asking for help. This is because I sometimes take on more work than I can handle, as I love to be busy! I need to be careful to say ‘no’ to tasks that I am not familiar with.  I am eager to do everything but my job coaches tell me it’s ok to say ‘no’ so that I don’t get overwhelmed.

My favourite Barts Health WeCare value is ‘Welcoming’. I make sure to say hello to everyone I come into contact with and use good manners throughout the day. I’ve also been able to incorporate this value into how I interact and collaborate with the other secretaries.  It’s very chatty in the office which I love!

My Mum works at Whipps Cross Hospital as a doctor and I feel really lucky to have her here.  I sometimes bump into her on my break but she makes sure to give me my space so that I can be as independent as possible.

I have learnt so many transferrable skills in the Eye Treatment Centre and I can’t wait to learn more so that I can get a job at the hospital when I graduate from the Project.