AWRC Voices: Work Experience at the AWRC
Gabby recently spent a week’s work experience with AWRC researchers and professional services staff. In the latest of the AWRC Voices series, Gabby talks though her experience and what she got up to over the course of the week.
Day 1: Sheffield City Campus
On the first day of my work experience I was based in The Owen Building in Hallam’s City Campus.
Throughout the day I shadowed Lucie, a Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and co-Lead of the AWRC’s Transforming Places research theme, and participated in her lectures on interventions for weight management. There were four separate lectures throughout the day, all focused on how we can help to promote a healthy and active lifestyle, and what the good and bad aspects are of an everyday person’s diet.
The class I was in were working on a piece of coursework in which they analysed a client’s diet and lifestyle choices and modified them to increase their wellbeing. The client was then due to come back into the University and see if any changes had been made to their body since they started this new lifestyle. From Lucie’s lectures I learned the impact nutritionists have on advising individuals how to improve their wellbeing.
Day 2: Desk work at AWRC
On day two I met the AWRC’s Strategic Portfolio Manager, Clare at reception, and she showed me around the centre. I then got set up on creating four flyers using Canva, each one focused on one of the AWRC’s five research themes. I had lots of fun developing flyers and I feel I’ve learnt about how broad the AWRC’s impact is!
Day 3: Active Together day at AWRC
On day three I worked with the Active Together team. This team work to integrate prehabilitation into cancer pathways to help patients prepare for and recover from treatment.
In the morning, I participated in a moving and handling workshop. The workshop involved a refresher course to the Active Together staff on how to handle patients and how to safely move anyone who may have fallen or are unable to get up after being sat down. I felt I learned a lot of safety skills and this class. Later in the day I made some goodie bags for the team. I then participated in a fitness class with members of the public and we looked at taking their blood pressure and heart rate before and after the exercise class to look at the effects the class had caused to the participants.
I enjoyed this class and I feel it’s a very good way in encouraging patients to be more active, and it also helps to improve their social skills and helps with their mental health. I then spoke to multiple members of staff such as Programme Manager Gail, and Gabby (I found out Gabby also has the same first and middle name as me and did the same A 3 levels as I am doing!). I found it very helpful and inspiring to be able to talk multiple members of staff, all working in different departments in the AWRC. Talking to multiple different people opened my options to all different departments that I could go into. I found out more about the many different types of disciplines that exist and how varied the Centre’s work is!
Day 4: Research project day at the AWRC
This was the most fun day of my work experience; I shadowed many different researchers and joined in with multiple projects. I began my day with Emily, who works as a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, but is also involved with the Multiple sclerosis (MS) team and looks at rehabilitating patients through their MS journey. I was based in the physical activity suite with Emily for the morning. Emily had an external client come into the AWRC and we looked at her fitness journey with MS, this client comes into to the centre every week and we looked at gradually increasing her exercise load whilst also taking her heart rate throughout. It was great to see the progress the clients are making every week.
I was then based in the movement analysis lab for the afternoon and clients came in and wore the exoskeleton suit and walked 20m and then had a rest. The suit helps clients to learn how to walk more independently with their MS. I then got to try on the exoskeleton suit! This was such a cool experience. It felt like it was doing the walking for me!
I then got to be involved in the testing of some instrumentive footballs. I was based in the lab with Simon capturing the footballs using high speed video cameras It was all very complicated stuff that was very technical and sometimes hard to understand but I still enjoyed it and found it very cool. I also had a chance to meet some of the the robots that are used for research at the AWRC; this was a very weird but cool experience too!
Day 5: Desk work and consolidation at the AWRC.
This was the final day of my work experience. During this day I finished up writing my blog and met with Clare to discuss my week. I have enjoyed this work experience so much and have found it so helpful and insightful. It has really helped me to understand the world of work and all the different types of jobs.
All of the team at the AWRC have been so lovely and made my week so good. Thank you all so much!
Are you interested in work experience opportunities at the AWRC? Drop us an email at awrc@shu.ac.uk!