In our latest #OurEntrepreneurs profile we meet cohort 7 Clinical Entrepreneur Chinyelu Menakaya, Registrar, Trauma and orthopaedic surgery.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I am a multi-talented award-winning Trauma and Orthopaedic Registrar, founder and managing partner, entrepreneur, founder of gender equality organisations and advocate with 23+ years’ experience of working with different types of organisations (multinationals, healthcare, education, and non-profit) in delivering organisational changes, team focused value through strategic leadership, mentorship and building stronger teams.
Name: Chinyelu Menakaya, NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Cohort 7.
Occupation: Registrar, Trauma and Orthopaedic surgery
My work focuses on ensuring that organisational impact is optimised by resourceful and diverse leadership. I support in changing organisation culture, building stronger teams, and providing positively driven workplaces in highly competitive healthcare, education, and non-profit environments.
In addition to being a registrar in Trauma and orthopaedic surgery, I achieved a postgraduate certificate in Disruptive Leadership at Harvard Business School and Teaching Skills from Harvard Medical School.
Through collaborations with other researchers and clinicians, I have been able to initiate over 40 quality improvement projects, published 20 peer reviewed articles in scientific journals which are focused on healthcare delivery and leadership, and I have spoken in over 50 international and national meetings.
Why did you apply to the programme and what are you looking forward to?
I was first introduced to this programme by a friend who recommended I apply due to my huge interest and involvement in healthcare business. She believed that this programme will be of great benefit to me.
I researched the programme and read the stories of past fellows, which led me to realise that my current business objects needed a prestigious programme like this to enable me to fully achieve my goals. I believe that this programme will afford me a huge opportunity to truly harness my skills while picking up more advanced knowledge needed to truly excel.
Tell us about your innovation
As an international medical graduate, I started my first job in the NHS in 2007. At that time, despite my wealth of knowledge, I felt like a stranger in the NHS with no one to truly guide me on what is expected of me outside my clinical knowledge. Today, 16 years later, despite the rise in global health professional migration and the significant change in the UK medical, international medical and non-medical workforce, this feeling continues to persist amongst health workers. Most of the workforce continue to have the clinical knowledge and acumen but lack the understanding of our complex and competitive UK healthcare and hospital environments.
The Medical Finishing School will be a hybrid (online and in person) learning platform designed and delivered by an expert panel of experienced UK based health professionals covering a variety of non-clinical subjects designed specifically for health workers with limited hospital experience who wish to gain confidence and a clear understanding of the day to day working life in UK based hospitals. The platform will bridge the gap around diversity in healthcare to improve workplace experience and performance.
The medical finishing school will target all new NHS health workers irrespective of their country of qualification and hospital working experience. We hope to achieve the following…
- Equality- Fostering an environment that creates equal opportunities irrespective of age, gender, religion, ethnicity & sexuality.
- Confidence- supplying the vital knowledge, to expand acumen and ultimately boost the confidence of new health workers within the NHS.
- Diversity- working to encourage and help build cohesiveness in the workforce due to the increase in workforce migrations.
What motivates you?
I only have one drive which is to ensure that patients are treated by the best health workers, in the best hospitals and with the latest technology. As a clinician, I want my patient experience to be seamless, so they can truly concentrate on getting better.
What are your ambitions for the next year?
I have one ambition which is to see The Medical Finishing School truly take off and start delivering the best health workers into the NHS to ensure excellent patient outcomes and experience.
Why do you think innovation is important in healthcare?
Innovation is the bane of any progressive organisation. It is powerful tool that shapes creatives to continue to think and proffer new solutions to ensure their customers and workforce constantly improve their services. It is an extremely important part of an ever-evolving healthcare environment.
How can we find out more?
Please visit The Medical Finishing School website for more information.
TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE THROUGH INNOVATION
