The Nutritional Supplement

1.  What Course did you graduate from at CNELM and when did you graduate?

BSc Hons Nutritional Science, completed in 2013 and graduated in 2014.

2.  What made you decide to study nutrition?

I was already practising as a clinical reflexologist for Foresight, the natural fertility & preconception care organisation.  I then moved to France and continued working as a reflexologist for Foresight and also started to offer other holistic treatments such as hair analysis, etc. Foresight then began introducing nutritional workshops for their practitioners and I just felt that I wanted to know more about nutrition and receive a recognised qualification.  CNELM was the only educational provider I could find which enabled me to study for a recognised qualification while living abroad and which also fit around my family commitments.

3.  What was your first role after graduating?

My first role after graduating was a part-time role as a health practitioner within the NHS working in pre-operative assessment.  So I would work under the direction of the dieticians, offering advice on diet, nutritional intervention and lifestyle to patients both pre- and post- surgery. 

I also got an additional part-time position within local public health, running a GP-referral programme for patients with obesity.  It's a 12-week programme and as part of this programme I run dietary education workshops and exercise / lifestyle programmes.  This role ties in nicely with my hospital work, as some patients on the GP referral programme would subsequently go on to have surgery.

I am now based in West Sussex in the UK, and there does appear to be lots of public health funding for these types of programmes.

4.  How did you manage to find these roles following graduation?

There are lots of opportunities out there but it isn't always easy to find them.  I wrote to a lot of people and organisations, I looked on public health websites and the websites of GP surgeries to find out what campaigns they were promoting.  In my area (West Sussex) they were running a Small Changes campaign so I enquired as to whether there were any nutritional positions available or if they needed any assistance in this area. I also looked at hospitals to see what healthcare positions were available that might require a nutritional qualification. 

I tried to get as many names and contacts as possible.  It was not easy or obvious - however I knew that I wanted to work with patients with chronic disease and combine nutritional, dietary and lifestyle interventions.  I wanted to capture a big audience, so to speak, rather than work one-to-one with clients, which is why I chose not to do a full nutritional therapy qualification.

If no jobs were available I just found out names of people to speak to and I would contact them and ask them what positions might be available, or whether they had a nutrition division. If they did not have a nutrition division I would offer to create one for them.  In the hospitals I would find out the names of the dieticians and ask if they had a nutritional assistant on their team.

Basically, I hassled a lot of people to get the right contacts, I spoke to lots of people and eventually a job came up and I was put forward for it.

5. How did you find working in the NHS?

It is great that the NHS is employing more nutritional scientists as assistants. The science background of my degree also helped me to get onto a higher payscale. In addition, while I was researching and applying for roles, I also took the initiative to develop my skills further.  So I did a couple of healthcare assistant courses to help my applications e.g. I trained as a phlebotomist and did an NCQ Level 4 healthcare practitioner course.  This definitely helped to boost my application, and once I got my first position I then received further training. I found the experience of working with dietitians enlightening. I know that some of the dietitians I worked with would appreciate more time to spend with patients in order to offer more in-depth nutritional guidance.

6. How has your career evolved since graduation?

I have now moved more towards public health and further opportunities have arisen because of my initial role as a Health Assistant in the NHS, and from the further skills I developed as a result. I still work with the NHS and with dieticians but I have moved away from working with patients pre- and post- surgery and I now work specifically with patients with diabetes on a one-to-one basis running dietary education and lifestyle modification programmes.

I also work one day a week for one of the testing laboratories offering phlebotomy services for their practitioners. This came about because of my work in the NHS where I did a lot of blood work and biochemistry including analysing results, so this is one example of how one role led to further opportunities.

7. What advice would you give to those who are just about to graduate?

Be prepared to apply to lots of people and do lots of research to see what's available in your area.  Draw up a list of contacts. There are lots of opportunities in public health at the moment in terms of obesity programmes, etc. Go to public health websites and check in your region what campaigns they are running and find out how you can get involved. Find out who to speak to, ask them if they have any nutrition positions available or if they would benefit from having someone with nutritional qualifications, or if they require a nutritional assistant. 

Be proactive and don't be put off if they say they don't have any positions.  Take the initiative and ask if they have any areas where nutritional interventions could be beneficial.  If they don't have a nutritional division, ask if you can set one up for them. 

You really need to be proactive and put yourself out there - it is not easy, but the opportunities are there if you look for them. 

I would also say, don't focus so much on the salary.  The dietary workshops I started with did not pay particularly well, but they gave me fantastic exposure and created more contacts and opportunities which then led to other things.  It's worth taking on part-time or casual roles to start with for this reason. 

Sometimes it's better to take your time to try and get your foot in the door and see what opportunities come out of that.  In this way, you can develop multiple income streams so that you are not relying on just one employer or one line of work. It also allows you to combine your skills and interests, and gain experience in lots of different areas.

I love the educational aspect of my work, and I also love the 'hands-on' patient care, but I also enjoy the laboratory work including blood biochemistry tests and analysing the results.

The advantage of this type of 'portfolio' career is that it creates different opportunities and allows me to use different skills sets.  I also love the variety and flexibility - so one day I might be doing an educational talk to 40 people, and on another day I will be doing one-to-one clinical work. I feel that I am constantly learning and enhancing my skills.

Opportunities have opened up for me because of the initial work I undertook in the NHS. It is hard to get your foot in the door but once you do it opens up a lot of avenues.

I would also add that having a solid nutritional science training acts as a great springboard for creating new opportunities and roles that may not have existed before because no-one has thought of them.  It's not always clear cut, so you need to dig around to find what opportunities are available and then proactively create them for yourself.

8. Have there been any particular influences, or influencers e.g. tutors, other practitioners, books etc. that have inspired you in your work?

• Michelle Barrow, Head of Education at CNELM made a huge difference in captivating my interest and making me realise that I had enrolled on the right course from the beginning. I was unsure at first with the distance aspect of studying from France, and juggling studies with family life, etc. and Michelle was instrumental in confirming my belief that I was doing the right thing.
• James Neil, Research Director at CNELM was also a big influence on me in terms of my research dissertation that I did as part of my BSc.
• Robert Verkerk, Managing Director of the Alliance for Natural Health, who delivered a lecture as part of the degree programme at CNELM was also a major influence on me. I found him captivating and very motivational - his work made me realise that this was the field of health I wanted to be in.