Interview with Jayne Hodgkiss
We spoke to Senior Teaching Fellow Jayne Hodgkiss to find out about her background and how her clinical work impacts her teaching.
What was your background before coming to Warwick?
My background is in nursing. I had previously completed my MSc in Diabetes at Warwick and continued to speak on some of the modules after my graduation. I’d also presented on some of the CIDC Distance Delivery programmes in the past. I had always planned to pursue a career change towards teaching at some point and Warwick seemed the obvious choice when the opportunity presented.
What do you teach on our diabetes courses?
The main areas I teach are related to my area of clinical practice: insulin treatment and management plus diabetes in pregnancy.
How do you split your time between teaching and clinical work?
I currently work three days within the Medical School and one day in clinical practice at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where I undertake inpatient and outpatient work. My specialist area of interest is diabetes in pregnancy.
How does your clinical work impact your teaching?
I enjoy being able to use anecdotal evidence from clinical practice to support the theoretical content in my teaching. Clinical practice is also imperative to keeping updated.
What advice would you give to someone considering studying at Warwick but who hasn’t been in education for a while?
The diabetes teaching staff make themselves available for any students and we recognise that students all enter education at varying stages and with varying backgrounds and experience. We also recognise that the majority of our students undertake training and education alongside full time jobs, therefore our courses and assessments are designed around areas in daily clinical practice that will ultimately make a positive impact on practice and patient care.
What do you think needs to be done to tackle the rising rates of type 2 diabetes?
As a clinical practitioner and teacher I’m aware of the increasing need to raise awareness across the public but also amongst fellow healthcare professional. Our range of diabetes educational courses support upskilling professionals.
What do you most enjoy about teaching at Warwick?
I enjoy the delivery of the range of teaching and learning opportunities we are able to offer that reflect the different needs of our students. I also enjoy the challenge of ensuring we are accessible and adaptable to the changing requirements of students applying to Warwick.
