Jess Church, an occupational therapist who had a childhood dream of helping people has become the 12,000th person employed by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
To mark the occasion, Jess was invited to a special celebration where Mike More, chair, and new Trust diversity lead Aloma Onyemah welcomed her to the CUH family.
The opportunity to work at CUH was one I jumped at. Working at such a renowned hospital, particularly a trauma specialist, allows me to develop and grow, and my decision was confirmed by how friendly and accommodating the team were at my interview!
Jess Church
Jess, who has always wanted to explore neurology, is working as a trauma specialist and helping patients with some particularly complex conditions.
She is building on hospital experience gained elsewhere after qualifying, including a “rotation” in a child development centre where she specialised in paediatrics.
She said:
"Growing up I've always wanted a job where I help others. For several years I thought this would be in primary school teaching, but didn't feel this would completely satisfy me."
I soon heard about occupational therapy and it ticked all the boxes. It is an opportunity to help and empower people of all ages, with mental health and physical health difficulties, in lots of different settings.
Jess Church
“As a profession, it has so many specialities and therefore knew it would continue to feed my interest and learning throughout my career and working life.
“I love being able to build up a rapport with individuals and their families whilst seeing their improvements - little or large! It's a very rewarding job.”
Director of workforce, David Wherrett, said:
Jess epitomises everything we look for when recruiting new staff. She is passionate about her work, keen to develop further, and loves helping patients. We really couldn’t ask for a better 12,000th recruit!
David Wherrett
CUH, Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie, is a growing and developing hospital.
In the last two years its workforce has grown by over 6%, over 700 more staff, all committed to delivering care, health education and research.
David Wherrett added:
"This latest milestone reflects the amazing community working together to deliver healthcare for the people of Cambridgeshire and beyond, now and in the future."
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