Nursing | HCAs | Career Development and Education
The Career She Always Wanted, Just Not the Way She Expected: Kim's HCSW Career Journey
Sometimes the career you're meant for isn't the one you start in.
For Kim, a career in healthcare had always been in the back of her mind. Growing up, she wanted to become a nurse and help others, but life took her down a different path. Leaving school with lower grades and navigating undiagnosed dyslexia, she focused on finding work, building experience and supporting her family. What followed was a journey through childcare, education and leadership before she eventually found her place at University Hospital Southampton (UHS).
Today, Kim works as an Educator within Child Health, supporting Healthcare Support Workers (HCSWs) and T-Level students as they begin their own careers. But her story is about much more than progression. It's about perseverance, overcoming self-doubt and proving that there is no single route into the NHS.
Finding Confidence Through Challenge
Before joining UHS, Kim spent many years working with children, progressing from a play practitioner to management positions and becoming a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). Alongside raising a family, she continued investing in herself, building her qualifications and pursuing further education at every opportunity. Living with dyslexia meant the journey was not always straightforward.
From adapting how she learned to navigating written assignments and coursework, she often had to find different ways to achieve her goals. Despite these challenges, Kim remained determined to keep progressing, gaining qualifications and developing her skills throughout her career. It was this resilience and commitment to learning that would later become a defining part of her journey.
Those achievements did not come without setbacks. While studying in higher education, Kim was diagnosed with dyslexia, giving her a clearer understanding of challenges she had faced throughout her life and education. Looking back, she describes the diagnosis as a turning point, realising that “I'm not naughty, I'm not frustrated. I've got a need that I need to work with and adapt.” That shift in perspective helped her approach learning differently, build her confidence and ultimately support others facing similar challenges.
Rather than allowing barriers to define her, Kim focused on finding solutions. Whether it was adapting the way she studied, making use of additional support, or continuing to push herself outside her comfort zone, she remained committed to her development. Even after losing confidence following challenges during her studies, she refused to give up on learning. Instead, she continued building her skills and experience, laying the foundations for a career that would eventually see her supporting and developing others across Child Health at UHS.
Taking the First Step into the NHS
Although she had always wanted to work in healthcare, Kim's route into the NHS was far from straightforward.
After spotting a ward clerk opportunity within the Children's Hospital, she applied hoping it would help her get a foot in the door. While she was unsuccessful, the interview panel recognised her experience and qualifications and encouraged her to consider a Healthcare Support Worker role instead.
Her first application for an HCSW post was unsuccessful too, but rather than walking away, she stayed focused on her goal. Encouragement from her family, particularly her daughter who was already working within healthcare, helped reinforce the feeling that this was a career worth pursuing. Reflecting on that time, Kim remembers her daughter's simple advice: “Go for it, mum.”
Six years later, that persistence paid off when she secured a role on the Children's Cardiac Ward.
Starting in the role was both exciting and daunting. Kim recalls that “it took me six weeks to settle in”, something she now regularly shares with new HCSWs to reassure them that confidence takes time to build.
The transition from community-based education into a busy hospital environment was significant, but she quickly discovered that many of the skills she had developed throughout her career were directly transferable.
Working with children, supporting families, building relationships and understanding additional needs all helped her make an impact from day one. In fact, Kim believes bringing previous experience into healthcare is a real strength, often encouraging new starters from education backgrounds to “bring your knowledge in” because every individual brings something valuable to patient care.
The Role That Changed Everything
Kim knew being a Healthcare Support Worker wasn't going to be a simple job, but an opportunity to make a real difference to children and families during some of the most challenging moments of their lives.
Working on the Children's Cardiac Ward, she found the most rewarding part of the role was often the simplest: building relationships. By “working with the parents and children to make sure that you've got everything right for them”, she helped families feel reassured and supported throughout their hospital experience.
Those experiences gave Kim a first-hand appreciation for the impact Healthcare Support Workers have across the hospital. While the role is often seen as an entry point into healthcare, she believes HCSWs are central to the patient experience, providing day-to-day support, noticing when patients or families need reassurance and stepping in wherever help is needed.
Over the years, Kim has become a passionate advocate for the profession and the opportunities it creates. In fact, when reflecting on the importance of the role, she describes Healthcare Support Workers as “the root of the tree and without them, we haven't got any root at all.” It’s a powerful reminder that highlights how Healthcare Support Workers are often the foundation upon which outstanding patient care is built.
A Development Opportunity That Opened New Doors
After three years on the ward, an opportunity arose that would take Kim's career in a new direction. A secondment as an HCA (Healthcare Assistant) Facilitator for Child Health, supporting the training and development of Healthcare Support Workers across Child Health services, allowed her to combine her healthcare experience with her educational background. Although it initially offered only a small number of hours, it was enough to spark her interest and encourage her to take a chance on something new.
As her confidence grew, so did the opportunities available to her. What started as a secondment eventually became a full-time role in education, allowing her to support Healthcare Support Workers as they began their own careers. Along the way, she gained additional qualifications and developed new skills including a Level 3 Assessor award, which has helped support staff undertaking further studies and development programmes.
The support she received throughout that journey was instrumental. Speaking about her current team, Kim says they “support me all the way” and have always encouraged her to contribute ideas and develop the role further.
She also credits UHS for providing flexibility when balancing work with family commitments and caring responsibilities, allowing her to continue progressing professionally while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Supporting the Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals
Today, Kim's focus is helping others take those first steps into healthcare, just as she once did herself.
Working across Child Health, she supports new HCSWs, coordinates onboarding programmes, delivers training, conducts wellbeing reviews and helps learners build confidence as they settle into their roles. She also works closely with T-Level students, giving them valuable experience of the different career pathways available across the NHS.
Having experienced her own challenges throughout education and career development, Kim understands that no two learners are the same. That is why she takes a personalised approach, recognising that “we're all individual in how we work” and adapting her support to meet each person's needs.
That personalised approach helps staff feel supported from the moment they join the Trust and encourages them to explore future development opportunities with confidence. For Kim, this support is particularly important because today's HCSWs and T-Level students could become tomorrow's nurses, educators and healthcare leaders.
As she puts it simply: “They are our future nurses and healthcare leaders.” Having experienced the power of development opportunities herself, Kim is committed to ensuring others have the same encouragement, guidance and support to build rewarding careers within UHS.
A Career Without Limits
Looking back, Kim's career path has taken her from childcare and education into healthcare, proving that there is no single route into the NHS. Through determination, continuous learning and a willingness to embrace new opportunities, she has built a career that combines her passion for supporting children with helping others develop and grow.
It is this experience that shapes the advice she shares with anyone considering a career change or a first step into healthcare. As Kim puts it, “Go for it. You've only got one opportunity, and you might miss it. Just go for it.”
Her story is a reminder that a Healthcare Support Worker role can be far more than an entry point into the NHS. For those willing to take that first step, it can lead to new skills, unexpected opportunities and a rewarding career that makes a lasting difference to patients, families and the wider community.
Healthcare Support Workers play a vital role in delivering outstanding patient care while gaining valuable experience, training and development opportunities along the way.
Whether you're beginning your career, changing direction or looking for your next opportunity, UHS offers a range of pathways to help you grow.
Inspired to start a new adventure in Healthcare? Click here to see what UHS has to offer.
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