Returning to practice as an AHP after a career break
''In 2015, I began my journey as a Podiatrist when I enrolled onto the BSc (Hons) Podiatry degree course at Matthew Boulton College (working alongside Wolverhampton University).
I graduated in 2018 before securing work as a Podiatrist within the Dudley Group NHS foundation Trust. I left my role as a Podiatrist to focus on starting a family and spending more time at home as a full-time mom.
In January of this year, I took the plunge to 'Return to Practice' after having a couple of years away from the profession. I was lucky enough to secure a placement at Kidderminster Health Centre, to complete the 30 days required for me to regain my HCPC registration as a Podiatrist.
One of my first placements as a Student Podiatrist was based at Kidderminster Health Centre, where I have now successfully gained employment as a Band 5 Podiatrist.
Prior to Podiatry, I worked as a Student Nurse and as a Support Worker, working mainly in home care and with children with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Prior to returning to practice with the Trust, I chose to take a temporary career break to focus on starting a family and being a full-time mom.
I discovered the 'Return to Practice' scheme through my current Team Leader, who offered me the opportunity to complete my placement hours within the NHS. I undertook further research on the HCPC website, to ensure that I knew the process before signing up to the programme.
The benefits of the programme for me have been that I was able to complete the required practice placement hours (30 days in my case), within my own time, as the programme and my placement were flexible to my childcare needs. Additionally, the programme offered good financial support, being able to claim for expenses such as travel, parking and uniform, which can become quite costly.
I was lucky enough to secure my placement within the NHS, which helped me to regain my confidence and update my knowledge and skills within Podiatry. This experience also enabled me to gain permanent employment within the NHS, once I regained my HCPC registration.
I am hope to gain a couple years of experience within the NHS as a Band 5 Podiatrist, before looking to progress onto a Band 6 role within the Trust, once I have the relevant knowledge, skills and experience.
I would say to anyone thinking of returning to practice to look into it. The support from the programme has been amazing and I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. The initial outlook of having to complete 30/60 days clinical practice under supervision, seems quite daunting. However, the time flies by and the process helped me immensely, in building up my confidence and updating my skills and knowledge in my registered profession.''
Stephanie Walker. Podiatrist