Nathan has a great role as a Respiratory Physiotherapy Technician at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
Tell us about your role and the impact it has on those work with
My current role involves assisting in the provision of respiratory care for patients living with chronic lung conditions. I currently support the physiotherapists in pulmonary rehabilitation classes and conduct education sessions over the phone with patients for our home-based pulmonary rehabilitation programme.
I manage the waiting list for the pulmonary rehabilitation programme and assist in completing audits for our service. I additionally carry out home visits, where I conduct clinical assessments with patients and carry out walking assessments, such as endurance shuttle walk tests, in the respiratory physiotherapy clinics. As a support worker we help maintain open communication with patients, which allows them to feel a greater support within their care. Patients have often expressed they feel safer knowing they can get in contact quite quickly with our team.
Being a support worker is a great first step into working within the NHS and healthcare industry.
What attracted you to a role as a support worker?
It allowed me to gain practical and clinical experience working in a healthcare environment as I develop my skills towards a career in physiotherapy. Being a support worker is a great first step into working within the NHS and healthcare industry. This job was also an opportunity to develop my interpersonal skills working with patients, whilst under the supervision of more experienced healthcare workers.
What training and development has helped your role?
In house training such as respiratory conditions, chest clearance, and breathlessness management has helped me prepare for my masters degree in physiotherapy as I will undertake respiratory modules. External training such as the Pulmonary Rehabilitation training has helped me in my carry out my role as it has taught me the process of rehabilitation incorporating exercise for patients living with respiratory conditions.
What are you most proud of in your role?
I am most proud of supporting patients through rehabilitation and improving of quality of life of the patients in our service. Through exercise, education, and communication, I have had the opportunity to see patients set goals they believe to be unobtainable, and then be achieved by the end of our pulmonary rehabilitation programme.
What would you say to encourage others into a role as a support worker with AHPs?
I believe becoming a support worker is a great first step into gaining knowledge and experience within a career in the healthcare industry. Becoming a support worker allows you to observe and experience the interpersonal skills, knowledge, and practical experience to succeed in the healthcare industry and provides many opportunities to develop your skills in order to progress.