Olly Schriver

Olly Schriver is a Clinical Physiologist at York Hospital. Find out more about the practical element of our course and how it is essential to your career and in securing your first graduate job.

Tell us about your role as a Work Based Assessor for the University of Leeds. What do you do?

As a WBA, I support students in their studies. The majority of this is on the job training and teaching. I also sign off student’s work logs and complete assessments with students. I review the storyboards that are also part of the record of clinical placement. As a WBA I am someone my students can approach for support and guidance whether this is specifically clinical or for general workplace issues.

What can students expect to learn when on placement with you?

Students can expect to learn a range of diagnostic tests that we perform in Cardiac Physiology. Students will also learn how the hospital multidisciplinary team works from referral to treatment and the various pathways a patient will follow. The student will learn a range of other interpersonal skills that are vital to working in the NHS, whether interacting with patients or other healthcare professionals. Values of evidence-based practice will be followed and through academic work at university and by becoming familiar with the hospital’s standard operating procedures (SOP’s) and how evidence-based practice guides patient treatment.

What do you expect from our students when they are on placement at your cardiac physiology department?

Good time keeping and an enthusiasm to learn. A willingness to engage with patients and other healthcare professionals. A drive towards self-directed learning with the ability to identify learning needs and take some initiative to read around subject areas of interest.

How will our students benefit, when back in the classroom from a placement at York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust?

The department at York has the benefit of many staff members who hold higher academic qualifications as well as professional body accreditation in their areas of specialism. As such, the student will benefit from working with people who are experienced both clinically, and in the academic process in which they will be working. The student will integrate with a well-established team of people who are passionate about their profession and will become involved in all aspects of department life, from assisting in clinics to inpatient work and attending multi-disciplinary team meetings.

What benefit will time spent with you have to our students' future careers?

Historically students who have attended York Hospital for work placement while at Leeds University have gone on to be successful in gaining employment and progressing in their careers once they have completed their studies. Many have chosen to stay on at York Hospital in a qualified role, myself included! (I finished my undergraduate degree at Leeds in 2008).

What is your favourite part of being one of our Work Based Assessors?

My favourite part of being a WBA is seeing the excitement in a student when they grasp a new concept. Not just regurgitating something from academic text with the belief that it is true, but being able to link academia with clinical practice and one’s own experiences. The deep and comprehensive understanding of “why” something is what it is generates a Eureka moment, the excitement of which is quite unlike anything else in the academic process and as a WBA, is most satisfying to witness. 

What does a Cardiac Physiologist do?

The Cardiac Physiologist facilitates the diagnosis, quantification and qualification of suspected cardiac disease. The role is expanding with cardiac physiologists taking on more responsibilities than they previously had. There are links to advanced practice roles whereby the physiologist role expands from simply performing a diagnostic evaluation to influencing and delivering treatment.   

How easy is the commute to York?

York is not the easiest City to commute around by car in rush hour. Parking at the hospital is almost non-existent and students would most likely have to make their own arrangements for off-site parking as do the majority of the departmental staff who commute by car. Many staff that live locally commute by cycling to work (personally my commute is around 2 miles which is either a 10-15 minute cycle or a 20-30 minute drive depending on rush hour traffic). The city has good rail links and the hospital is no more than 15 minutes’ walk from the train station.

What is it like working at York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust?

We have a good team, from the cardiac physiologists to the nursing staff to the radiographers. The hospital is not the newest building but has good facilities including staff subsidised canteen, staff shop, Costa Coffee and staff benefits programme.

What is the town/city of York like?

York is a lovely place to live and one of the main reasons why I stayed on at York Hospital after qualifying. Surrounded by the city walls and steeped in history, the City benefits from all the shopping, bars, restaurants and other amenities you could wish for without the huge housing estates of some of the country’s bigger cities. York is a very desirable place to live in while the people maintain the friendliness and charm of Yorkshire folk.

Also, you can get to London Kings Cross by train in 1 hour 50 minutes from York!