Fiona Shankland - Senior Pharmacy Technician
Finding the time for formal learning can seem like a juggling act between work and home life but with some planning and a flexible approach to study, the benefits in the form of new skills, personal achievement and increased confidence can more than make up for challenges faced along the way.
Fiona worked as a Senior Pharmacy Technician at the Golden
Jubilee National Hospital. Changes in her role persuaded
Fiona that she needed to
broaden her knowledge of management and business.
In 2006 she decided to study for a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) 3 in Management at Motherwell College. Much of the learning was work-based and on completion in 2007, Fiona continued her studies with the SVQ 4 in Management.
Not content with this, Fiona was keen to go further so in September 2008 she began a degree course in Business and Enterprise with Napier University in Edinburgh. The fact that Fiona already held the SVQ 4 qualification enabled her to complete the degree course in only twelve months by October 2009. The course consisted of study modules looking at different management and entrepreneurial aspects of companies as well as a work based project and other projects. For her NHS project Fiona worked with an anaesthetist and the Resus Nurse to develop a new hospital Adult Emergency Box, which was much easier for staff to use than the previous one. .
Fiona said, "The studying was hard work but I enjoyed the learning process and gained a lot of knowledge to help me develop my working skills. My confidence has increased and I find it easier to participate in and contribute to work groups."
The Golden Jubilee National Hospital supported Fiona throughout her training by funding her SVQ studies and partly financing her degree.
