REACH winner Anns on pathway to uni and Health & Social Care career after move from India at 16

Before moving to the UK with her family at the age of 16, Anns had gained A* grades across the board in her home country of India’s equivalent to GCSEs and was planning to study medicine and become a doctor.

She was, however, a little disheartened to learn that, due to national education policy, her qualifications were not recognised on these shores and that she would need to pass at least three GSCEs at Grade 6 or higher to continue in that vocational direction.

Reluctant to tackle that time-consuming and repetitive cycle, Anns decided instead to explore her Further Education options at York College and enrolled on our Health & Social Care course, while sitting and passing her GCSEs in the mandatory subjects of Maths and English.

Her academic excellence quickly saw Anns leap from Level 1 to a Level 3 diploma and, after she has completed the course next summer, she is now intending to go to university and study a three-year Operating Department Practice (ODP) degree.

That will then lead to a job working alongside surgeons in a hospital setting and Anns said: “Growing up in India, I wanted to study Biology and then Medicine but, when I came here, I realised the system was different and I couldn’t do it without it taking a lot longer. We came to the UK after my mum got a job here as a carer and my dad then got a job at another care home as well. 

“When I came for the Induction Day at College, there were so many courses, so I chose the one that I understood the most and that I thought would be a good step towards where I want to be. There were former students, who were working in the care home where my dad was working, that also told me what a good course and college it was.

“But it has been mainly down to Mo (Health & Social Care tutor Maureen Kildin) really that I now know where I want to go career wise. She organises the uni trips we go on or when people from unis come in and talk to us.

“It was due to listening to people from Teesside University and then going to two trips there that I now know I want to progress on to an ODP course. I didn’t know ODP even existed, but it means you work in a hospital’s operating theatre with the surgeons and other teams.

“You prepare patients for operations, make sure they are comfortable during operations and help them with their pain management afterwards. I’m looking at Northumbria University in Newcastle, because they do the same course and I want to go somewhere and be more independent, whereas Teesside will still be a bit close to my home.

“I want to see the outside world and do things for myself, rather than living in that safety blanket with my parents. I won’t be studying to become a doctor but, with this course, it’s pretty much the same thing, because I will be working alongside surgeons to save lives.”

In India, pupils continue to study all subjects right until the end of their secondary school education, including all the sciences, humanities lessons and IT.

Anns also sat exams in the country’s national language of Hindi and that of the state of Kerala – Malayalam – which she learned from scratch after relocating there at the age of 14.

English lessons were also fully conducted in the language, meaning Anns had a certain level of verbal confidence when arriving at College, but has needed to adapt to the unique nature of the Yorkshire dialect!

“Coming here, the accent and speed is a bit different to the English I was taught, so I had one or two communication problems, but the tutors were patient with me and described things at my pace and in a way that I understood,” she explained. “My communication skills have probably been developed more than anything else since starting the course.

“I found it a bit confusing how the GCSEs, A Levels and vocational courses worked when I first came over here, but I think I would be able to help a student who is coming over from a new country now and explain how the system works.”

Anns added that the Health & Social Care course has equipped her with a host of industry-related qualities, too.

“The tutors make everything enjoyable, but I’ve particularly enjoyed the practical side, like giving CPR,” she declared. “I was surprised when, this year, we went to the Care Simulation Room and the models (CPR Annie manikins) were almost real, because they speak and move.

“The uni trips and learning materials have helped me engage in the subject as well and the course has given me problem-solving skills and shown me the importance of compassion, empathy and the patient always coming first.”

That classroom tuition is being complemented, too, by Anns’ placement at Limetree House Care Home in Poppleton.

All Health & Social Care Level 3 students are required to undertake 175 placement hours as part of their course and, going into her second year, Anns has already completed 145.

“I have shadowed care workers and the manager and I now know how things work there like how patient you have to be with people who have dementia,” she said. “I want to eventually go on to work in a hospital setting in a fast-paced environment, where it’s important to problem solve and keep calm under pressure and I think I am gaining those skills where I am now.”

Anns has enjoyed being made to feel part of a wider College community, meanwhile, where her opinion and that of fellow students is sought and valued.

She has been invited to Student Champion lunches and even asked to participate in the interview process for a new Deputy Principal & Deputy Chief Executive at York College, leading her to reflect: “All my life, my friends, family and education had all been in India, so I was nervous and wondering what it would be like meeting new people in a new country, but it’s a diverse college and there are people from all over the world here, so that has made it easy for me to blend in.

“At the Student Champion lunches, external people have come in and asked about our experiences at College and that has made me more confident about my communication skills again and it’s nice to feel that my opinions matter. You do feel that the college listens to you and, even if you have concerns of your own, you can take them to your tutor or Progress Coach.”

Despite her initial reservations, Anns also now feels the approach to teaching at York College is better than that she experienced in India.

“There’s a bit more pressure on you in India to get good grades,” she pointed out. “That’s part of the culture and comes from parents and teachers.

“Here, the teachers always consider your feelings first, rather than just pressurising you. My Level 1 Progress Coach helped me understand how things work here and was there for me from the beginning and all the tutors also make lessons really fun, while checking that you understand the subject well, which is a better way of helping you to get top marks.

“The teachers here are amazing and the best I have ever had. They have structured my whole career and I’m doing Level 3 now because of their teaching skills. They make you want to keep progressing.”

That progress Anns has made on Campus was rewarded with the St Leonard’s Hospice-sponsored Brilliance Award for Health at our REACH Awards Ceremony this summer.

It was a proud moment for both Anns and her family and she added: “I went there with my dad and we were quite surprised at how special the event was. Just being nominated was a big thing because of the number of students there are at College.

“My dad said that, even if I didn’t get the award, he was so proud of me because I have only been here for two years and already done so much. Then, when, I got the award, I was so surprised and I could hear my tutor and dad clapping the loudest.

“I came back and they congratulated me, hugged me and told me how proud they were. My dad was on cloud nine and took so many pictures!”

Finally, Anns has issued her advice for anybody who finds themselves in a similar situation to her two years ago – arriving at York College, having spent the previous years of their education in another country.

“I would say talk to anyone in the college,” she suggested. “I know how nervous I was on my first day, even just getting my lanyard and things like that.

“But, if you tell people here all your worries, I’m pretty sure they’ll be there for you and make time for you, as well as telling you all about progression opportunities and what’s best for you, so don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for help.”

To learn more about our Level 3 Health and Social Care course, please click here

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