Rebecca Starrett

“I went to Methodist College Belfast, and I suppose it was expected that I would follow both my brothers off to university after my A-Levels. But the closer it got to my exams, the more I knew university was not for me.   I even went for an interview in the middle of my A-Levels for an Assistant Technician Officer post at the Ulster Hospital! I found out in June I was successful and started in August."

“I started working in Aseptics – where they manufacture medication tailored for specific patients onsite in the hospital – and I worked there for a year. An opportunity came up to move to Dispensary and I was encouraged to progress my qualifications with the Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Technicians at SERC. I am now in my second year.”

“The course is tough; there are a lot of assignments, and it is all about time management and keeping on top of them.   Everyone in the class is lovely though – we are all working and studying - and the lecturing team at SERC have been great. I have learnt so much on the course. I work full-time and the course is part-time. We are in class or online every Tuesday and then every six weeks we are also in class on a Wednesday.”

“I have a mentor in work who always checks in with me and there is plenty of support at work too - many of my Band 4 colleagues have come through the BTEC course, so there is always someone to ask if you are stuck on something or need help.”

“I have no student debt, and I love working full-time, meeting different people every day. Getting the opportunity to go onto the wards under supervision at work has encouraged me to progress. Eventually, I would like to become a Pharmacy Technician in a hospital setting.”