TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Driving Development
the mentor in offering insight into their own experiences or challenges. A pitfall of any mentoring dynamic is self-orientation of the mentor, i.e. any tendency displayed towards centring themselves or their goals. The takeaway here is simple; a positive
mentoring relationship at its core requires consistency, self-awareness, and an open- minded approach. Get these building blocks right, and the rest will follow with far greater ease.
SPOTLIGHT ON KARINA JONES AE(W) K
arina Jones shares her career journey since leaving her homeland near Krakow in Poland as part of her life-changing development.
Karina’s life experience has shown her to have resilience and the capability to learn, adjust to situations, and develop her skills, abilities, and experience. These key elements have allowed her to focus on her strengths and commitment – in her current role as an Authorising Engineer (Water) – to raising water quality standards in the healthcare environment. To earn the necessary professional respect and standing, it was essential (in her view) to have a foundation on which to earn this coveted position, and gain the respect of her peers, by achieving the position of IHEEM-registered Authorising Engineer (Water). She currently works in this role for Eta Projects. Maintaining a professional career is an ongoing learning experience. Karina has worked her way up in water hygiene management through the vocational route of practical experience supported by professional and academic training, and believes the best way to achieve one’s goals is to be open to every source of learning. She said: “This could be through conversations with colleagues and others who are more experienced and have inner knowledge that cannot be found through books, and this additional learning can often only be obtained through open conversations and a willingness to listen and learn.” Her ongoing determination to challenge herself and undertake further research into water management have seen her develop
several CPD training modules based on current guidance, standards, and regulations, harnessing her many years’ experience in water management. She said: “By sharing your knowledge you are also challenging yourself in ensuring that your facts are correct and that you have the ability to provide solutions to problems.” She has expressed her knowledge (and on occasions her concerns) through a number of articles, which have appeared in HEJ, The
London Chamber of Commerce monthly journals, and the Water Management Society’s Waterline publication. With water management a complex and high-profile field, she believes it is important to maintain one’s professional knowledge, which in her case includes mechanical, electrical, and technical understanding. She said: “One of the important development drivers is maintaining Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which encourages you to reach out to wider areas you can gain knowledge from. These don’t necessarily have to be relevant to your specific career, but may still be of interest to you. All knowledge with some relevance to what you do will provide you with valuable added benefits. Information which you may think is not relevant today can often be essential in the future.” Mentoring is fundamental to Karina’s ethos of sharing knowledge; she is currently mentoring two water engineers, as they develop
towards formal Authorising Engineer accreditation with IHEEM, and their own development plans to achieve accredited status to Engineering Council competency standard. She feels privileged to have reached the professional position she currently enjoys because it enables her to support others in achieving their goals. Her motto is ‘Be open to information, and be happy to share it.’
February 2024 Health Estate Journal 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73
