Ellie W.
About me
| Ellie W. | |
| Psychology | |
| Psychology | |
| Research Postgraduate | |
| James | |
| 2015 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Behavioural Science Specialist (Public Health) | |
| North Yorkshire Council | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Government and civil service | |
| Large business (250+ employees) | |
| 2019 |
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A day in the life of a Behavioural Science Specialist (Public Health) in the United Kingdom
When I left York, I thought I wanted to be a sport psychologist. I got into Public Health by accident and now I can't imagine doing anything else!
Briefly describe the organisation you work for
I work for a large council in Yorkshire.
What do you do?
I lead on developing a council-wide approach to using behavioural science. Put simply, how can we use principles from psychology to develop interventions, systems and services that enable people to change their behaviour, in turn improving the health and wellbeing of the public.
Reflecting upon your past employment and education, what led you to your current career choice?
After I left York with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, I did a MSc Sport and Exercise and a PhD in Health Psychology. My PhD was based in a cardiothoracic hospital and looked at how healthcare professionals could deliver behaviour change interventions as part of their routine clinical practice. I then took a job in Public Health Team within my current organisation in September 2019. This was initially for 12 months, and I was then made permanent. I was interested in how psychology could be better used by public health and in councils, so we developed a workstream in behavioural science (following work I'd done nationally with the BPS during the COVID-19 pandemic), and I now lead on all things behavioural science across the council.
Is your current job sector different from what you thought you would enter when you graduated?
Definitely. When I left York, I thought I wanted to be a sport psychologist. I got into Public Health by accident and now I can't imagine doing anything else!
Describe your most memorable day at work
Memorable for the wrong reasons: far too many days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Memorable for the right reasons: working with academics who had done some incredible research on the experiences of young parents in one of our coastal towns, facilitating a round table with NHS and social care leaders to understand how these findings and issues could impact their practice, and then working as a multi-agency group to make things better for young parents.
Are there any challenges associated with your job?
Councils are extremely complex organisations so working out how they work is a massive challenge. Also the financial pressures that councils are under is immense. Working with the NHS can be a challenge as they are so stretched. Everyone would like more capacity and money but it doesn't seem likely that that will happen!
What’s your work environment and culture like?
I'm lucky as my team are incredibly supportive and I feel like I learn every day. I also love my job and how it requires me to network and meet different people to try and improve the health of the population as far as I can, so it's a real privilege to hear people's stories. I also feel like I have a good work-life balance.
We have a head office, but I travel across the county and wherever my job takes me, from hospitals and GP surgeries to youth groups, care homes and everything in between! No two weeks are the same.
What extracurricular activities did you undertake at university and what transferable skills did you develop through these?
I was heavily involved in a university sport club, and was captain and then president of the club. This taught me lots of leadership skills and how to get the best out of a team.
I also completed a summer research internship in the Psychology department between my 2nd and 3rd year which was useful for my postgraduate applications.
What would you like to do next with your career?
Stay in Public Health and continue to learn my craft- it's a massive job! I've got loads of job satisfaction at the minute so I'm really happy to see where this can take me!
What top tips do you have for York students preparing for today’s job market and life after graduation?
Don't rule anything out. I didn't expect to be in this job but now I'm here, I love it!
Also if you can do data work then you're highly employable- look for analyst jobs in councils!
Have a look at the breadth of jobs that councils offer- we do a bit of everything!
What topics from students are you happy to answer questions on?
I'm happy to speak to anyone who's interested in sport/exercise/health psychology, postgraduate studies, working in a council, anything related to public health and behavioural science, or just a general chat!
Next steps...
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