Rosalyn Macfarlane

​Tell us a bit about yourself and what you studied:
I’m Roz, 22 and I studied Speech & Language Therapy at the University of Manchester

What did you enjoy most about your course and any support you received from your tutors/supervisors/friends and colleagues?
I really enjoyed my clinical placements, where I got to apply theory to practice and experience the profession in real life.
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COVID-19 crisis presented many challenges. How did you manage?

My placement was cut short due to the pandemic which was a real shame as I was really enjoying it and it was my only adult placement at uni. My clinical educator directed me to some guided reading and Youtube videos to help me keep refreshed on my theory and experience virtual patients as I had limited experience o placement.

COVID-19 has forced the adoption of new ways of learning. Can you tell us about your experience and what advice you can give to potential students?
As I was unable to see patients on the wards during my placement, I used Youtube to watch videos of patients with different presentations of speech, language and communication needs and found these very useful.

Who or what has been your inspiration?
I have definitely had some amazing clinical educators on my placements in hospital and they made it clear that the adult caseload was for me. 
 
What advice would you give others on reaching their potential or embarking on a career in health? 
I would tell anyone interested in a career in healthcare to go for it! Every day is different and you get to meet such interesting people. This career is so rewarding and we all help make a difference to a patient’s life – patients and their families will remember the small acts of kindness and excellent care they receive.
 
How did you look after your wellbeing?
I really enjoy the outdoors so made sure to include time to go on a walk in the countryside or go on a run to keep myself active (I love the endorphins you get after exercise!) I also facetimed my friends a lot as many were in the same position as me throughout lockdown and it was nice to vent to each other knowing we’re all in the same boat but also to chat about everything and anything to distract ourselves. 
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