Natasha Watchorn

Profile

I have been a Cardiac Physiologist for 24  years after starting my clinical career in 2000 at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield. I obtained my BSc (Hons) Clinical Physiology (Cardiology) degree from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2005 before completing a PG Diploma in Diagnostic Imaging at the University of Leeds in 2015. I started clinical work at the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield before moving on to Huddersfield, Barnsley and finally Pinderfields Hospital progressing my career into student training as Lead Work Based Assessor, I am now back at the Northern General performing Echocardiography. I joined the teaching staff at the University of Leeds on the Healthcare Science (Cardiac Physiology) programme in June 2015.  

I have been actively involved with teaching and training throughout my clinical career and have worked as a Work Based Assessor, Student Mentor and as an examiner with the SCST. I’ve had close links with the Cardiac Physiology Programme before my employment at the University, and have actively contributed to curriculum development and placement protocols. My passion is echocardiography and I’m an accredited member of the British Society of Echocardiography (BSE). I continue to contribute and develop training and teaching for health science professionals.  

I am involved with teaching across all three years of the undergraduate Healthcare Science (Cardiac Physiology) degree and from 2023 I have undertaken the role of programme leader for the newly reaccredited Cardiac Physiology programme along with being the programme leader for PG Cert Echocardiography. I have also taken on a role as deputy academic integrity lead within the School of Medicine.

Responsibilities

• Deputy Academic Integrity Lead (School of Medicine)
• BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science (Cardiac Physiology) Programme Leader
• PG Cert. Echocardiography programme manager.

Professional memberships

• Society for Cardiological Science & Technology
• British Society of Echocardiography
• Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists

Student education

I am involved with teaching across all 3 years of the Undergraduate Healthcare Science (Cardiac Physiology) degree and have recently developed a PG Cert in Echocardiography. In my role as placement co-ordinator I also ensure work based assessors have relevant and up to date internal verification and complete departmental audits on the the healthcare placement providers in the region.

I supervise year 3 students in their final year projects and I am involved in setting, writing exams for modules in both years 1 & 2 of the undergraduate degree. I also undertake teaching on a discovery module and on the diagnostic imaging course.

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine