Venus Madden Photo
Venus Madden Photo

Mental health worker takes career one step further in lockdown apprenticeship

Mental health worker takes career one step further in lockdown apprenticeship

Taking on new challenges to boost her career, a mental health professional has overcome lockdown learning alongside full-time work and home schooling to complete her apprenticeship and excel in the workplace. 

This year Venus Madden completed a Senior Leader/MBA Degree Apprenticeship at UWL after keeping up her studies during two years of pandemic uncertainty and lockdowns – and she is already applying a host of new skills to her workplace and improving experiences for patients and staff.  

Venus, who works as Clinical Lead for Occupational Therapy and Vocational Services as well as part-time AHP Leadership Fellow at Broadmoor Hospital, is now able to expand on her strategic planning and leadership skills thanks to her newly acquired qualification.  

Whilst I am a confident clinician, I feel that my values, strengths and, essentially, my career pathway definitely steer towards being a leader with strategic thinking,” she said. 

The apprenticeship has helped me to think more strategically and make connections outside of healthcare, which is fantastic.  

I have also learnt not just to think like a clinician but think more like an entrepreneur and consider what external factors might affect our decisions and future planning, and that is where the course has really helped develop me."

As she puts her new skills to use, Venus said it has all been possible thanks to ongoing support from her Trust as well as the Apprenticeship Team and lecturers at UWL as she looks back on all she has achieved over the past two years. 

She said:

Working and studying at the same time was definitely a challenge, especially in a time of such uncertainty. The pandemic affected my work life balance more than I anticipated and I have a young family so was also home schooling for a significant period of time.  

I had to be very flexible and make changes at work and at home to meet deadlines and attend lectures. But it was all about balance and making sure I took some time out for myself too alongside everything I needed to do as a worker, a student, and a mother. 

UWL have been great, especially when it came to IT and academic support teams who were always available and ready to help when I needed it."

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