Kathleen Simon

"My job requires me to have a good attention to detail, especially when assuring the quality of the service. I have to be able to scrutinize what we are doing in order to improve the service. I also have to be able to provide objective evidence that we are meeting the required standards – which uses my Coordinator and Influencer personality types."

"My responsibility as a Quality & Accreditation Lead is to make sure that the department working towards international standards, with the aim of gaining UKAS accreditation. This mostly consists of coordinating the different modalities within my Division, standardizing practice and documentation. I also represent the IBMS (Institute of Biomedical Science) in assessing students in other laboratories to ensure that they are suitable to qualify. Another role I hold is with the HCPC, assessing Biomedical and Healthcare Science degrees to ensure that they meet the high standards set by the HCPC. There are plenty of opportunities for progression within the Allied Health Professions and Healthcare Science professions, whether you want to go down the management or clinical route. I have travelled to Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Brighton: nowhere exotic!"

"From school I studied Biomedical Science. My first manager throughout my placement year was a big inspiration for me. They had achieved so much in their career and had such a great passion for training. When I graduated from Lancaster University, I got a job as a Biomedical Scientist in the Histology lab where I worked for 6 years. Now I am the quality and training manager for the whole of pathology in East Lancashire. My workplace supported me to complete my Specialist Portfolio in Cellular Pathology, allowing me to progress to a specialist Biomedical Scientist. I was lucky enough to have my employer also support me through completing my Masters (MSc) in Cellular Pathology. After working in the lab for around 6 years I applied for the job of Quality and Training Manager in Pathology and was appointed!I have always been interested in training and promoting the career of Biomedical science. Being the training officer for the pathology lab meant I got to do this every day! I have recently moved to a new role as Quality & Accreditation Lead for a Radiology department. This is exciting as I get to use my previous quality management experience to design and implement a Quality Management System with the aim of eventually gaining UKAS accreditation."

"I enjoy exercising and attend a few gym classes a week. We also have a campervan, so I enjoy going away for weekends in that to the hills and mountains."

"For me every day is different! I typically send/receive a lot of emails quality matters.. I also have to maintain the quality management system, conduct audits and ensure the staff are performing any necessary quality activities. "

"GCSE x 10A Levels x 3BSc Biomedical ScienceMSc Cellular PathologyIBMS Certificate of Expert Practice in Quality Management"