What I do

I use a very expensive manikin (a jointed model of the human body, used in medical training) to create real-life scenarios within a mock-up ward for doctors and nurses to train with.

How I became a technician

I have been in the NHS for six years now and have stayed within the education aspects, moving from Education, Training and Development to IT training and then back to Education, Training and Development and now I work in medical education in the Simulation Department. I have recently been offered a new role as Assistant Service Manager for the Simulation Department. I have managed to go from an apprentice to a band 5 Assistant Service Manager!

I didn’t do that well at school, I left with English, Maths, IT and PE. I had to fail school and college for me to realise how vital education is! I then got a job in retail at Hollister and became a team leader. However, because I was under 21, I had colleagues working at a lower level but learning more than me, so I thought “I need to change this”. I began looking for apprenticeships and found the Education, Training and Development Apprenticeship.

I have been in the NHS for six years now and have stayed within the education aspects, moving from Education, Training and Development to IT training and then back to Education, Training and Development and now I work in medical education in the Simulation Department. I have recently been offered a new role as Assistant Service Manager for the Simulation Department. I have managed to go from an apprentice to a band 5 Assistant Service Manager!

I didn’t do that well at school, I left with English, Maths, IT and PE. I had to fail school and college for me to realise how vital education is! I then got a job in retail at Hollister and became a team leader. However, because I was under 21, I had colleagues working at a lower level but learning more than me, so I thought “I need to change this”. I began looking for apprenticeships and found the Education, Training and Development Apprenticeship.

Hear more about Tyler's role by watching the video below...

A typical day in my
working life

During the pandemic, we provided a lot of training inside Covid wards – training new doctors and nurses in a highly-pressurised area so they were prepared for working with Covid patients.

We can have up to five simulations a day, and they last around 10 to 15 minutes each. There are often people watching the simulation from downstairs, so I also manage the cameras to make sure everyone is in frame, which is essentially the same skills that streamers use. After each simulation, the medical staff debrief and discuss what went well and what they could have done differently. While they are doing that, I usually check my emails and do general admin tasks.

I arrive at the Simulation Centre and check what course we have booked and plan out which manikin we need to use. We have a high-fidelity room, which is essentially a mock-up ward which we set up for whatever course we are running that day. For example, one day I set up our maternity simulation course, and set up the maternity manikin and even put the baby inside the manikin’s womb, ready to give birth. The manikin is life-sized, and we call her Noelle - she is a fully functioning manikin that is able to give birth.

The manikin comes with an application, like an app really, which we operate from and are able to control every aspect of the labour, including contractions. The speech element of the manikin is not very developed, so we become the voice of the patient as well as control it from behind a one-way mirror. There is always a doctor with me that tells me what to do, such as change the breathing pattern or initiate a full cardiac arrest, and we can also add some things like blood and bruising to make the manikin more realistic.

During the pandemic, we provided a lot of training inside Covid wards – training new doctors and nurses in a highly-pressurised area so they were prepared for working with Covid patients.

We can have up to five simulations a day, and they last around 10 to 15 minutes each. There are often people watching the simulation from downstairs, so I also manage the cameras to make sure everyone is in frame, which is essentially the same skills that streamers use. After each simulation, the medical staff debrief and discuss what went well and what they could have done differently. While they are doing that, I usually check my emails and do general admin tasks.

I arrive at the Simulation Centre and check what course we have booked and plan out which manikin we need to use. We have a high-fidelity room, which is essentially a mock-up ward which we set up for whatever course we are running that day. For example, one day I set up our maternity simulation course, and set up the maternity manikin and even put the baby inside the manikin’s womb, ready to give birth. The manikin is life-sized, and we call her Noelle - she is a fully functioning manikin that is able to give birth.

I really feel like I am part of the team, it's good to feel like I'm doing my bit to help.

The advice I'd give to someone younger

Enjoy these years because they are the best years of your life. My 14-year-old niece is learning coding at the moment, and I didn’t learn that until I went to college! Make the most of what education has to offer.

A little more about
my everyday role

My favourite piece of equipment to work with

Because our department deals with doctors, we are funded well, which allows us to have the best technology in the Trust. My favourite bit of tech is our 5-year-old manikin which we brought to one of the school workshops we host at the Technicians Gallery at the Science Museum, he even looks around and moves his eyes – everyone loves him!

The best bits about working in a team

We are a team of three technicians, which consists of an ex-paramedic, someone who studied film at university (so makes all of our videos), and myself, who is tech-savvy and I like to dig deep into the software and settings to see what we can do - we all really bounce off each other!

Find out more about this role

Discover what qualifications you’ll need, how much you can earn, and what the next steps are.

Nine apprentices sitting on sofas socialising

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