Return To Corporate Employment!
YES! You've read that title correctly... I've made a return into full-time corporate employment. Since December 2024 I am employed by City Health Care Partnership as their very first Digital Navigator and am based at the unique Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre in East Hull.
Seems like a drastic change, doesn't it?
Not only am I back in corporate employment for the first time since 2003, but I'm also working in health care, specifically in Frailty care - supporting a service with an objective to support elderly frail people with their healthcare and keep them out of hospital. Obviously, I'm not medically trained, and have no experience with frailty care or healthcare settings.
The Jean Bishop centre is an innovative and unique health care service which likes to adopt unique ways of doing things. It's named after Jean Bishop, a local hero, an inspiring icon who was a prolific and well-known fundraiser within Hull, who dressed up as a Bee to attract attention and donations as she raised money for Age UK. She raised nearly £125,000 over thirty years.
And what the hell is a Digital Navigator?
The centre recognised that healthcare staff face numerous challenges when adopting and working with emerging digital technology. Staff are out in the community supporting, assessing and monitoring frail patients in their own homes or in care homes. Those in the Centre take calls and give advice, and assess and monitor patients remotely. And technology plays an increasingly important part in delivering such services.
Then let's throw in the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the mix...
The idea of creating a unique role in such a setting - the Digital Navigator - was born.
Why me?
I spotted a job advert for this exciting new role back in September. I wasn't even looking for a job, and had zero intention to return to corporate employment.
I was doing some research around the role I've done for years, that of a friendly and patient but tech-savvy bridge between arty creative business owners and all the techy stuff needed to set up and thrive as a small business these-days. And as part of that research this Digital Navigator job advert popped up... with just a few days to spare until the closing date.
It was greatly intriguing for me. The perfect job.
A 'pioneering new role', the chance to mould the role, and importantly to make an impact, make a difference supporting the people who support elderly frail people to keep them out of hospital.
When I thought about all the roles I've had, the projects I've worked on, the places I've worked in, and skills developed in tech, training and quickly building a strong rapport with people, I realised that most of what I've done was 'pioneering' and required a determined approach to work out what was needed to make things work.
I applied, and the rest is history. 5 months later, it's an amazing challenge, and hugely enjoyable, and in a short time I've learnt so much and have already made an impact.
I'll write some more posts about the role later. But some key projects I'm involved with are:
TytoCare - a smart, remote stethoscope to assess patients in their own home.
BioBeat - a wearable disposable heart monitor to monitor patients in their own home.
Heidi - an AI driven medical scribe which listens to patient consultations and creates template driven notes to save medical staff hours a day creating detailed and accurate patient consultation notes.
Fascinating stuff.
What about my online business, new Stitchery Courses directory and Stitchery Stories textile art podcast?
It was a complex decision to go back into corporate employment. One thing that made it easier was that it was advertised initially as a 12 month full-time contract. That made it feel easier to take the leap, especially if I viewed it the same as gaining a new long-term client!
The intention is to 'park' this online course creation training & advice business. Several episodes of Stitchery Stories were recorded before I started my new job. And the intention is to keep the Stitchery Courses directory 'ticking over' as a 'side hustle' if I have time.
Turns out keeping these things going in a few hours a week is more difficult than I imagined, so the reality is that very little has happened with any aspect of my online world since December. Even getting podcast episodes released just once per month hasn't happened...
Anyway, some hard decisions have been made, but again those are for another day, another post.
Until the next time,
I'm Still Cheering You On!
Sue xxx