On Sunday 6th December 2015, BAYN hosted their 1st event for professionals. The aim of the event was to provide a platform for healthcare professionals to network and those looking to join and progress within the industry to develop their knowledge of the processes within the sector.

The event began with an address by the MC, Sadiq Mawji who is also a well-established healthcare professional, welcoming all the attendees and explaining the aims for the evening. He introduced the first speaker, Muslim Khoja who explained how he had developed a career in Dentistry and established his own Dental Academy to train dentistry students and nurses.

The following speaker, Dr Rizwan Alidina described his journey through the medical profession and how he went from studying medicine to becoming an anaesthetist, before becoming an independent GP after 8 years.

The third speaker, Tahera Elwell clarified how to establish a career in Radiography and the different elements within the field. She further shed light on how she developed her career to become a Senior Radiographer and the effects of working with cancer patients.

The next speaker, Farah Gulamali took the attendees on a step by step journey of how she developed her career in dietetics and how she has further gone on to working alongside other healthcare professionals to provide patients with neuroscience care. She explained that without other professionals working as a team, patients in hospitals would not receive the best care and teamwork is essential.

The last speaker for the first half of the event, Fatim Bandali-Bhanji elaborated and reiterated just how important education is and demonstrated that going back to education as a mature student motivated her more. She also took the attendees on a journey of how she completed a diploma in nursing before working in wards to then further specialise in Oncology to become an Oncology nurse. She truly spoke from the heart about how rewarding nursing is and how much development there is within it and that nothing should stop you from following a passion.

At this point, halfway through the event, there was a networking break in which all the speakers interacted with the attendees and the opportunity to build links was provided.

After reconvening, the 6th speaker for the evening addressed the attendees. Dr Aliasghar Hasanali Asar explained his role as a Consultant Physician along the Major Trauma Pathway working on rehabilitation of patients admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He elaborated further about his role within the sector and again built on previous points about the importance of working as a team with dieticians, physiotherapists, psychiatrists and nurses, as well as other professionals to provide the right care for patients.

Sara Visram, a pharmacist in academia, spoke about the development within the Pharmacy and how after her pre-reg she completed a PhD within the field. She told the attendees how studying further meant she still had to practice at weekends to ensure she did not lose her practical skills and now she is now lecturing at Keele University to provide an education about ethics and jurisprudence within Pharmacy to those joining the sector.

The next speaker, Marium Moledina talked about working in paediatric physiotherapy and the rewards of building a meaningful relationship with her patients from their admittance to well beyond their discharge from hospital care. She touched on the misconceptions regarding Physiotherapy and clearly established what the field is about.

The second to last speaker, Nawshad Suleman described his journey from a GP to working within Psychiatry and the importance of helping people. He gave a balanced description of the pros and cons of the field but the rewards it has given him.

The last speaker of the evening summed up choosing and developing a career completely. Shafik Haji explained why choosing the career as a dispensing optician was the best choice for him as it allowed him to explore the creative side of optometry and how it allows an individual to develop their interpersonal skills and selling abilities. He gave an image of the industry currently and how it is a very attractive career for females with families; however it is not progressing due to lack of permanent staff.

The event ended with thanks from the MC and BAYN, who highlighted upcoming events and explained how one of BAYN’s aims is to create a forum for all professionals within Birmingham to share their expertise and provide support for one another. An online social media output has been set up for all professions within the community to join, in order to benefit from on-going dialogue.

The event was attended by 40 individuals, including healthcare professionals, those studying within the sector and parents with their children who are making choices which will affect their careers. Feedback from the attendees was that the event was much needed and a success in providing an insight into different fields which further developed their understanding. The speakers also spoke highly of the good organisation and thanked BAYN for the opportunity to share their expertise and knowledge with the community.