Guest blog by Robert Manson
I started my post registered 18-month course at St Helier in Carshalton, Surrey. This was a culture shock to me as it seemed to be more about getting tasks done on time and making the beds rather than focus on the patients. I quite often got told off for not getting my corners right despite providing social and psychological care. Having realised that the hospital environment was not for me I started to think about other avenues which I could explore while still working with people and using my nursing skills.
I was fortunate to have an appointment with Occupational Health (OH) for my routine vaccinations. It was there that I got talking to a very wise and experienced Occupational Health Physician (OHP). He shared his experiences of OH and gave me a real insight into an area that I had not been aware of at all.
I took a big decision to move to the Noth East of England and applied for a temporary Occupational Health Nurse (OHN) role in ICI, covering maternity leave. It was the largest employer in the area and had 20,000 employees working at the site. Despite not knowing anything about industrial chemicals, I took to the role surprisingly quickly. I was in a team of experienced OHPs and OHNs who took me under their wing and trained me up. I was essentially a shift OHN dealing with accidents and injuries in the plant. I also had to carry a cyanide antidote in my bag in case of cyanide exposure. Later clinical evidence showed that it was ineffective.
I was taken on as a permanent member of staff and sponsored to undertake a BSc Public Health Nursing training at Teesside University. This was the most suitable training that OHNs could do. An integrated course which included nurses and midwives from other disciplines.
After a couple of years, I found working shifts, especially night shifts, in a paramedic type role challenging. I also realised that the role of an OHN had developed into a more proactive role rather than providing treatments.
I applied and was successful in starting a role as an OHN at GlaxoWellcome (later to become GlaxoSmithKline) in Barnard Castle. Although I was not familiar with pharmaceuticals my experience in industrial chemicals came in handy. I had a great team and thrived in this area. I quickly became the team manager and then regional manager covering four sites in North England and Scotland.
Due to my interest in preventing manual handing injuries I was asked to move into the Health and Safety department, and I undertook an MSc in Health Ergonomics as well as my NEBOSH Diploma. This lead to me being awarded a Health and safety award for my research in Participatory Ergonomics.
After several years I returned to OH and became the UK lead covering fourteen sites across the UK. This role gave me the opportunity to use my OH and health and safety knowledge and expertise, bringing the two disciplines together.
It was towards the end of my career in GlaxoSmithKline that I realised that there was a real lack of knowledge in supporting neurodivergent employees. We had an increasing volume of case management referrals that my team simply could not manage due to a lack of training.
Since leaving three years ago I have set up my own company and developed my knowledge and skills in neurodiversity. I now focus on both providing workplace needs assessments a well as training other OHNs to improve their knowledge and skills in this area.
