Staff spotlight: Management accountant

Kalina is a management accountant, working within our finance department. Her journey at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) began when she joined us as a porter and has since progressed into an accountancy career.

‘When I first started here, I was a porter. Deciding to pursue studies in financial accounting, I was looking for jobs I could have alongside my course. All I knew was that I really wanted to work for the NHS and that my passion was working in the public sector.

‘Once I completed my studies, I started work experience in the finance team, working in research and development (R&D) here at UHS. After a year in R&D, I got my first job in the accounts payable team and it was from there that I really started to progress. Now I’m still working there as a management accountant!

‘It’s quite a different start to a finance career, and that’s why I think some people can relate to or even be inspired by my journey here. There’s a perception of finance careers as being really hard to get into, but if you work hard, you can start from whatever position you want. The head of financial accounting here started as a caterer and I started as a porter, and UHS is filled with these kinds of aspirational career pathways. All you need is the right attitude and some motivation.

‘The best part of my job is the impact my department has on patients, who benefit from things like the new children’s emergency department and general intensive care unit – capital projects that our team has a great deal of involvement in.

‘It can be challenging sometimes to balance many things at once, while knowing that you have a responsibility for patients all over the Trust to get things right for them. The hospital environment is definitely a unique place for an accountant; we deal with things you wouldn’t necessarily expect. But all of this motivates you to constantly be better.

‘My team are truly excellent, and we are very personally invested in the Trust and its successes. We get very involved in charity work, recently raising £20,000 for the new emergency department from a range of fundraising activities, such as a 100k run, 10 mile swim and Kilimanjaro climb. We were really brought together to do something above our normal jobs and help.

‘From my personal point of view, I achieve a great satisfaction from working here and I have a huge passion for the NHS. It’s an amazing service that not everyone appreciates. They don’t realise how much work is involved in running an organisation like this. It’s great to work for the NHS, and I’d highly recommend UHS in particular as a place to work. You can see that what you do every day has an impact on someone’s life, and for me, that’s the most important thing.’

If you're looking for a position at UHS that will allow you to achieve your career aspirations, take a look at our current vacancies.