Evie Fleming from The Billericay School in Essex completed her internship at NELFT NHS Foundation. Find out how her experience of the world of work boosted her self-esteem and helped her find her path.
Before her internship, Evie was nervous about her first experience of the professional world, but after her four-week paid internship at NELFT NHS Foundation, she felt more positive about her future.
“I was quite nervous about working in the adult world – I’d never had a paid role before in any company and I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect. After the internship though, I definitely feel more confident in myself and my ability to work in professional role.”
Evie gained an insight into a number of different healthcare careers during her internship, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and nursing.
“During my internship I had the opportunity to shadow different healthcare professionals. I really enjoyed that because I was always doing something different, whether it was going on patient home visits with the dietitian or participating in exercise classes with the physiotherapists.”
Her time at NELFT also helped empower Evie with crucial career skills – adaptability and communication in particular.
“I was based at lots of different locations and with different professionals, which encouraged me to adapt and become more flexible. Also, I spoke with lots of different patients during my internship which boosted my confidence – I really enjoyed learning little snippets of their lives.”
Evie’s mentor, Sue Fielding, who also works at NELFT NHS Foundation, reflected on how their relationship enriched Evie’s internship journey and her own personal highlight working with her.
“It was important to me that Evie knew she was able to come to me at any point, and we worked together to ensure that she was always happy and secure in her surroundings, and I hope this helped her to enjoy her experience. A highlight for me was listening to Evie’s end of internship presentation – she received so much fantastic feedback from the teams she had worked alongside and that made me feel extremely proud of her.”
New possibilities and paths
For Evie, her paid internship helped her understand her career options in healthcare and observe them in real-life settings.
“The best part of my internship was getting to know about the variety of job offers available in the NHS and speaking with different professionals. I found my internship very informative and interesting as I learned about different professions I had never even considered before, such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy. My colleagues were all kind and supportive and were happy to answer any questions I had about their roles too.”
After being able to work in the healthcare field, Evie has been inspired to pursue a career where she can help others.
“My internship has definitely made me want to work for the NHS in the future – I enjoyed the caring atmosphere and it confirmed to me that I want to help others in my job.”
Her internship has left Evie feeling more confident and motivated to build a rewarding future.
“My internship has helped improve my mental health by improving my confidence and giving me the self-belief to take on challenges. It has also made me realise that change can be a good thing, and now I feel more confident to make decisions about my future.”
