This month we ask “Why do we often undersell ourselves?”
Glenn Hussey
Programme Director Biomedical Science
Keele University
Human civilization continues to develop quicker than evolutionary processes can cope with. Under strong natural selection pressures, Homo sapiens evolved finely tuned fight-or-flight responses to survive in a world filled with predators. Today we are much safer and our amygdala becomes overactive, causing stress and anxiety in mundane, non-life-threatening situations. Linked with the stereotypical British psyche, this could explain why Britain leads Europe with some of the highest levels of self-harm, anorexia, teenage pregnancy and imposter syndrome.
As a practitioner biomedical scientist who is now Programme Director for Biomedical Science, I explain to potential applicants what it is like working in the hospital. How we are the secret service of the NHS and how humbling it is to play such a vital role in the patient pathway, despite the fact that most people do not know who we are or what we do. As Director of Education, I see inexperienced students struggling to remember and understand academic content. There is increasing anxiety about “what will come-up in the exam?” and “how can I remember all of this?” Likewise, I see experienced practitioners who know the material, but, who struggle to evidence their explanations. They are worried about being able to “keep up with younger students” who they perceive to be “brighter and more academic” than themselves. Whatever the cause, we must learn to combat anxiety, better recognise our strengths and value our contributions.
Gareth Woods
Head Biomedical Scientist
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Biomedical scientists have long underplayed their role in the patient pathway and the value that our services truly bring to the NHS. An underselling of ourselves as a profession is due to a number of factors, including the lack of role models at senior levels.
I attended a seminar recently where it was reported that only two NHS chief executives in England come from a scientific background – in marked contrast to over 60% of chief executives who come from a background in nursing.
Role models are vital in demonstrating the opportunity to thrive at the highest levels within the NHS, but with biomedical scientists represented by a very limited number of senior voices, the perception of our roles as only “technicians” adds to a persistent, continued under-recognition of our professional status and our individual and collective ability to develop and lead.
The underselling of our role in patient care may also come from the limited direct exposure to patients and the transactional nature by which many of our services are viewed. However, via our training and education, biomedical scientists have a huge amount to offer both inside our departments and across the wider organisation with a strong grounding in high-quality lean working – which is becoming more and more essential in the health service.
To prevent the underselling of our profession, we need to ensure our voices are heard and our successes are celebrated.
Phillipa Burns
Trainee Consultant Clinical Scientist HSST
Hull University Teaching Hospitals
To sell yourself, you have to know your self-worth and value, without this it is easy to undersell or downplay your role or your contributions.
Under the pressure of service delivery it is often difficult to find the time to take a step back to reflect; perhaps we focus on the extraordinary moments rather than the ordinary, but, to the patients we serve, the ordinary matters just as much.
In essence, we are equal parts practitioners of science and reflection; constantly revising our knowledge, moving forward with new experiences and meeting the challenges each day presents. Yet, when it comes to translating this into a hard sell of our skills, we struggle or we are cautious of hubris, preferring to deflect the attention to the effort of the team rather than the individual.
As a manager, I found it easier to empower others to fulfil their dreams, rather than embracing my own.
Last September, I made the leap from a Chief Biomedical Scientist to Higher Specialist Scientist Training; meeting the demands of the equivalence process forces you to take stock of your contribution and reflect on the milestones that shaped your practice. I found my value and self-worth after time spent with clinical teams outside of pathology – a privileged insight that few biomedical scientists are afforded.
Perhaps the key to overcoming undersell is to outreach from pathology into clinical teams; to hear how our results influence decisions and to hear, as I now do, how valued we truly are.