Employee Spotlight:
Nightingale
During an internship as part of the Career Ready programme, joining our Talent Diversity & Inclusion Team, Nightingale shares her learnings about Mental Health Careers across Bupa UK.
"My career ambition is to work within the health and social care sector, primarily in the Mental Health services.
During my Internship I have had the opportunity to speak directly with people who have a Mental Health focus. I have explored jobs available within the Business Units of: Care Services, Health Services and Contact Centre.
Richmond Villages is a part of Bupa Care Services. The villages are for the elderly or vulnerable who cannot take care of themselves. Some of the Care Homes and Villages have specialist dementia units to look after residents. I spoke with a Village Manager, who told me the responsibility of working in the unit as a nurse.
For most nursing schedules, work starts early before 8:00am, this is to swap shifts with those who have been on the night shift and share any problems that may have occurred in the night. The nurses in the dementia units tend to resident’s needs, engaging and communicating to make sure they are all living happily. For roles in this environment I learnt, you must be an approachable person, being able to prioritise your workload, have strong communication skills, lead in what can be difficult situations and have experience in health and social care management.
Within the Contact Centres, I learnt there are jobs in the insurance side of the business in sales and retention for customers with Bupa policies, but there are also opportunities within the Clinic side that support our customers with mental health enquires over the phone.
The Member Service Advisor (MSA) role involves being on the phone daily, receiving calls from members of the public who contact Bupa when they are in the need of help for example, having a family crisis or going through an emotional experience. After conversation a MSA will then signpost the member to our nursing team or organisation that can potentially help. I learnt that each MSA’s priority is to provide the best care and cater to a customer’s needs. An MSA should be patient throughout the call and give the best advice possible for the situation. Every case is different, some extreme cases might include speaking with someone who may have gone through a near death experience, severe panic attacks or any type of trauma.
A person within this role requires listening skills, they should be compassionate, understanding, and logical when using interpersonal communication skills during the calls.
Bupa Clinics are part of the Bupa Health Services. With many services on offer to customers and patients, as I’m currently studying Psychology at A-level, I learnt about a Cognitive Behaviour Therapists (CBT) role. As a CBT therapist you can connect with your patients through sessions and have time and space for you to dedicate to the individual one on one. Within these sessions, they focus on creating a relationship between behaviour, feelings, and thoughts to establish if there is a connection to the cause of a mental health difficulty. Once they understand the situation the individual is in and having empathy while speaking to the individuals, they will then recommend techniques on how to help them. To be a successful applicant for this profession, you need to have a Full BABCP accreditation and experience in the industry, while also being responsible, empathetic, and caring.
Also under Health Services is Cromwell Hospital. I spoke with a Mcmillan Cancer Support Counsellor about their role and how are supporting cancer patients. The counsellors at Cromwell tend to support patients throughout their whole cancer journey, being an emotional advocate to them during what can be a tough time in someone’s life. They aim to create a safe space for patients to explore their vulnerability and be open throughout the process, this is so the patient feels appreciated, valued, and can best feel happy. A person that will be suitable for this role will need to have experience and dedication to the job and prioritise emotional intelligence when speaking with patients.
Overall, after speaking with different business areas, I have learnt so much about the mental health services that can be provided across Bupa. One competency I noticed was vital within the roles is the importance of having and using your emotional intelligence when speaking with customers and patients. Also, to live by Bupa’s core values of ‘Caring’ and being an emotional advocate for the individuals under your care and how you are ‘Responsible’ to help them through their difficult time.
It has also a great opportunity to hear from those working directly in the clinical roles, where I have learnt the importance of day-to-day tasks that must be completed. Now having a view of the opportunities and careers, it has helped me to feel more open minded about working in mental health in the future and not specifically deciding to work in the clinic when there are many options to explore.”
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