A FORMER Reading-based flight attendant has swapped life in the sky to join the UK’s fight against cancer.
Maddie Huse is training to become an oncology nurse thanks to a new industry-leading education and training programme at the Rutherford Cancer Centres.
She is based as the Rutherford Cancer Centre Thames Valley in Shinfield, having previously worked as cabin crew for British Airways.
“Quite early on in the pandemic I was furloughed and I picked up overnight shifts at Tesco for about nine months,” she says. “I then returned to British Airways but only for a few months and then I was furloughed again.
“This time round I wanted to do more, and I felt my calling was more on the medical side of things – but I was worried as I had very little training in this area.”
She applied for a job at the Shinfield centre and joined the team in February 2021 as a patient coordinator.
“I worked in this role for seven months and have now started a degree studying Adult Nursing at The University of West London,” she adds. “The Rutherford Academy is supporting me through my degree, and in three years I’ll become a registered nurse and I will specialise in oncology.
“I took a leap of faith when I joined the team at the Rutherford, and had no idea what career progression would be ahead of me. The Rutherford Academy has given me a whole career path I didn’t even know was possible for me.
“I am really grateful to be part of an organisation that is so committed to supporting its staff.”
The Rutherford Academy provides access to a range of high-quality teaching courses.
These include accredited and non-accredited opportunities, with training across a range of areas including radiotherapy and oncology, as well as courses in leadership and management. It aims to create opportunities for career progression and lifelong learning.
Kevin Solly, general manager of Rutherford Cancer Centres said: “We want to empower and continue to build our most precious resource – our team – to continually improve clinical outcomes and deliver exceptional experiences to patients and families.
“Education lies at the heart of that, so we are very proud to be launching our Rutherford Academy at a time when there are myriad opportunities to develop exciting careers in healthcare.”
