A trainee medical professional has spoken of how she traded in her past life working with horses to pursue a career in the NHS at Ipswich Hospital.

Harriet Aitchison was once an equine groomer and a chef before taking up a place on a training scheme where she is learning to operate scanning machines to take medical images.  

Harriet Aitchison in uniformHarriet Aitchison in uniform (Image: Richard Weller-Poley photography)

She has taken her place on the Training Academy at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) aged 35 - and her new ambitions are linked to her family history.

Ms Aitchison said: “My grandmother was a radiographer, and my sister is a Macmillan nurse at Ipswich Hospital but I hadn’t worked in healthcare before.”

It was her sister who saw a poster advertising the Training Academy at Ipswich Hospital and suggested Ms Aitchison looked into it.

Ms Aitchison added: “I was working as a chef in a pub, as well as an equine groomer, and riding horses for people, but I was taking a break as wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I thought why not explore the idea of the NHS.”

Harriet Aitchison with chef Maria Elia Harriet Aitchison with chef Maria Elia (Image: Richard Weller-Poley photography)

She said what appealed to her about the Training Academy was the opportunity to work across a range of areas before needing to commit to one.

“Having done nothing medical before, I wanted to experience and see all the different departments. If I’d have thought before what area would I want to work in I would’ve said radiography, but now I’m drawn more to MRIs and plain-film x-rays,” she said.

Harriet Aitchison ridingHarriet Aitchison riding (Image: Richard Weller-Poley photography)

The academy offers people the opportunity of training and a guaranteed job interview within ESNEFT, predominantly in the areas of diagnosing conditions, such as heart monitoring in cardiorespiratory, bowel screening and X-rays within medical imaging or taking blood samples in phlebotomy.

There are also opportunities in non-clinical areas such as clerical work too, with part of the training involving rotational placements across the trust’s hospitals.

Ms Aitchison started at ESNEFT’s Training Academy in September and had two weeks of masterclasses and then several weeks working in a variety of areas. She was still able to work as a chef part of the time.

She said: “I applied for a role as an apprentice assistant practitioner in diagnostic imaging and got it. I’m really enjoying it and will continue studying for my foundation degree which I should complete by May 2026.”