Healthcare science
Lucia Vazquez Bonome, Digital Education Creator, Medical Physics
Meet Lucia Vazquez, Digital Education Creator at the Medical Physics Department.
Lucia studied for an HND in Advertising in Spain and took several courses in Graphic Design, Creative Advertising, Creative Writing, and Media. She worked as a freelance graphic designer in her hometown of A Coruña, in northwest Spain, creating content for various companies. Additionally, she collaborated as a sales representative for the Spanish Red Cross over two summers while studying for her HND.
When the 2009 economic recession hit Spain and unemployment rates began to rise, Lucia decided to embark on an adventure and moved to the UK in 2012. She lived in London for over five years, working as a sales representative at Selfridges, as a marketing assistant for a gluten-free Italian company, publishing intern at John Blake Publishing, Legend Press and Touchline Media, and graphic designer at different companies while saving money to return to university. She also took several writing and creative courses at Morley College and collaborated with different websites as a freelance writer.
While living in London, she volunteered for over two years at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital as a member of Radio Lollipop, entertaining children in the hospital and providing them with comfort and care.
Lucia has a passion for storytelling and enjoys writing stories. She has published a short story for a Spanish charity and was shortlisted in the Aarhus 39, a project with the Hay Festival and Aarhus 2017 to promote promising young children’s writers from across Europe.
What has your career journey been to date?
I am originally from Spain, where I studied an HND in Advertising and I worked as a freelance graphic designer for several companies in my hometown of A Coruña. After graduating, I participated in the I YoDona Contest to win a scholarship to work one year in the advertising and marketing department of the beauty brand Helena Rubinstein in Madrid. My project was chosen second in the Marketing category, competing against over 100 other candidates.
In 2012, I decided to move to England because there were more job opportunities within media and communications, and I thought it was also a great opportunity for me to improve my English language skills and experience living abroad.
I’ve worked in London as a marketing assistant and content creator while saving money to return to university. I have over a decade of experience creating content in both English and Spanish for various websites and brands.
In 2017, I moved to Southampton to top-up my HND studies (Level 5) with a BA in Media Production at Solent University, graduating with Honours. Encouraged and supported by my lecturers, I pursued an MSc in Marketing at Solent the following year, finishing with Merit. While studying at Solent, I assisted several lecturers with their projects as a research assistant and worked as a freelance writer for the University’s website and blog. I also worked as a marketing intern at Nuffield Theatres and helped them source pictures for a temporary exhibition about the old shopping centre “Tyrell & Green”.
In 2019, I was awarded a scholarship to return to Spain and study for a Master’s degree at a Spanish university for a year. I completed an MA in Media Translation at Universidad de Vigo with Merit distinction.
Shortly after finishing my Master’s studies, I returned to Southampton and began working as a Library Assistant at Hythe and Totton Libraries. Part of my duties involved creating content for their social media channels and serving as the ambassador for Book Start at both branches.
Even though I enjoyed my role in the library, I was looking for a job opportunity more related to my content creation skills and my background in media. I found my job at UHS on their website and joined UHS in 2023.
What is your job role and what does it entail?
I work as a Digital Education Creator for the Medical Physics Department. I am in charge of the department’s communications, improving the design and content for presentations, designing and issuing newsletters, liaising with the Communications Team, organising events, and, very shortly, creating content for social media channels.
Currently, I am updating a group of presentations which will soon be live on VLE, adding more animations, transitions, and making them more dynamic and visually interesting for our learners. In my role, I collaborate with different members of the staff and work on multiple projects at the same time, which I really enjoy.
How does your role support the objectives of the Medical Physics Department?
Part of my duties entails updating various learning presentations that go live on the VLE. These presentations cover complex topics such as radiation protection, radiation safety, and nuclear medicine, so the language and content are quite technical. For someone without a background in Medical Physics, this can be quite daunting. We aim to make science engaging and accessible for everyone. For example, I don’t have a background in sciences, and I suggested adding elements to the presentations to make them more visually interesting.
We achieve this by incorporating interactive elements. For instance, when presenting real-life scenarios, we now include videos that reflect these situations or animations that capture the learner’s attention. I use a programme called Articulate Storyline, which offers many possibilities in terms of design and presentation aesthetics.
Could you share more about how your role connects with the scientific side of the department? Do you collaborate with any physicists or other researchers?
I do collaborate with the physicists in the department and the researchers. They send me the presentations they’d like me to update and have regular follow-ups with me to give me their feedback and comments. They keep regular communications with me and are open to new ideas and suggestions.
They are always willing to help me and support me with any other projects I’ve been involved so far; whether is sending me pictures to attach to the newsletter, assisting me with the technicalities of the field, suggesting me websites and pages where I can source for information or people I could reach out to gather information, they always have a willing disposition and a positive attitude towards my role.
As I am not familiar with the topic of Medical Physics myself, I appreciate all the help and support I can get from everyone, as sometimes I get lost trying to understand all the acronyms and the technicalities. I am very lucky in that aspect, because everyone who works in the Medical Physics department has helped me from the very first day I joined the team. From people who work in Admin to more senior members of the staff, it’s a fantastic group of people who work in that department.
What impact has your work had so far?
One of the things I’ve suggested of doing was adding videos to our presentations, this way we keep the learner engaged with the content we are presenting. We’ve already recorded several videos at UHS for one of our presentations and the feedback that I gathered so far has been very positive. This has also allowed us to start a collaboration with the Communications Department, as one of their videographers helped us film the videos, which turned to be phenomenal and will be up on VLE very soon.
I’ve also suggested gathering feedback from the course’s learners through surveys. This will help us better understand our learners’ expectations, manage their needs, and produce better learning materials. We have already submitted these surveys, and I believe the feedback we gather will positively impact the development of future courses.
What challenges have you encountered in your role, and how have you and the team overcome them?
As with working for any other large organisation, we need to comply with UHS’ brand policies and follow certain guidelines. This can be a bit of a challenge when producing creative materials, as you might not be able to use certain colours or fonts. However, this is also a great opportunity to think outside the box and come up with different ideas and suggestions. I find that everyone always has an open mind and a positive attitude whenever I suggest something, which is very encouraging for my position and creates a positive work environment.
How has the NHS been a place you can still express your creativity?
One of the ways I expressed my creativity was during “We are UHS Week,” where I coordinated several activities for the department. On Thursday, 17th October 2024, we had a display in the foyer with lots of great pictures of people who work in medical physics to raise awareness about the diversity of work being done in the department and showcase the projects and work my teammates are doing.
This received positive reviews, and we’ve been asked to keep it up until the end of the month, which is fantastic because it means that people are interested and engaged with it. That day, I also collected the lovely gift bags that UHS was handing out, and my colleagues were very happy with their new lanyards and pens.
Also, on Friday, 18th October 2024, I booked one of our meeting rooms and turned it into a sort of “Zen space” to link with all the other activities happening that week about mental health and wellbeing. I brought some wellbeing books, arts and crafts, stress relief balls, and soft lights, turning the place into a calmer area where anyone could have a 15-minute break to relax and unwind.
I think people tend to think of creativity as the artist who has a paintbrush in their hand, but to me, everyone’s creative in their own way; whether it’s through cooking skills, knitting, or even how we present topics, everyone can show their own talents and uniqueness anywhere.
What attracted you to UHS, and how has your experience been since joining?
I was interested in the multifaceted aspect of this role, the possibility of creating and developing content for a respectable and renowned organisation such as UHS, and designing educational materials, which is something I am passionate about. Moreover, I was keen on joining UHS because it is an organisation that looks after its employees and offers many advantages (such as employee benefits).
My experience working at UHS so far has been amazing. I joined the team in January 2023 and shortly after, I took maternity leave for over a year. I can only say good things about my teammates; they have welcomed me very warmly and supported me since I joined. They’re all lovely, work very hard, always share tasks, and make a great team. I particularly thank my Line Manager, Ben Johnson, who has helped me very much from the day I started and has made my transition back to the office very smooth.
Who would you recommend UHS to?
To anyone! UHS is a huge organisation and has multiple roles to offer. People tend to think that if you work in the hospital, you must have a medical background, but there are many other roles available for anyone interested in working here.
UHS is a great organisation to work for; as an employee, it offers many benefits such as transport discounts, Vivup benefits, among other things. However, for me, the main benefit, and the one I am most grateful for, is the possibility of flexible working. Being a mum, it is very important for me to have flexibility around working hours. Additionally, having the possibility of working from home some days is great because I can arrange my childcare commitments around it.
How does UHS support your professional growth and career progression?
All the courses that UHS offers on VHLF are very interesting and beneficial for all UHS employees. Most of them are conducted online, so you can complete them in your own time. Additionally, these courses encourage interaction with other NHS staff members from across the country, which is fantastic because you can share experiences and points of view with others who work for the organisation. VHLF constantly offers courses related to your field of interest, and you also have access to other training opportunities both on VLE and other platforms.
What are your next career steps, and how do you plan to develop further?
I would like to establish a career within UHS as a communications professional. I am a very proactive person and I love learning new things. I am always up for a challenge and eager to learn something new that might improve my skills and the way I do things.
I plan to attend relevant courses and events that will enhance my skills and improve my job performance. Moreover, attending those events will allow me to meet people who work in the same field and might have relevant knowledge or information that I can put into action.
Last year, I took several courses on Coursera which were very helpful for my current role, and I hope to find time to complete others that I have my eye on. Additionally, one of my goals in this role is to start a LinkedIn channel for the group. This channel would allow us to connect with other members of the professional community, build our network, and advertise future roles and courses.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about a career in media and communications?
Take every work experience you can; internships, work placements, etc. These will help you build confidence and learn valuable skills that you can add to your CV and present to potential employers in the future. This might be hard when you’re a student, but it will pay off long-term and be something you won’t regret doing. While I was in university, both in England and in Spain, I worked part-time at different places to gain work experience that I could then present at job interviews.
Also, try to be as proactive as you can; show initiative to showcase your skills. In this day and age, you can start a blog, a YouTube channel, or display your pictures on a creative website. The main thing is to put your work out there so others can see it. Additionally, create a portfolio of works that you can show to potential employers. This demonstrates your interest in developing a career within the field, your dedication to your future, and your passion for your profession, which are all great qualities to have as an employee.
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