08 June 2020
Over the past week, we’ve highlighted some of the great work our members and volunteers do for us. Without their time, expertise, energy and passion, it wouldn’t be possible to support our members and the wider rheumatology community as we do. In our final Volunteers Week post, we hear from Dr Mhairi Brandon, a consultant physiotherapist and musculoskeletal sonographer with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and a newly elected member of our Clinical Affairs Committee.
“Volunteering with the British Society for Rheumatology has been an amazing experience for me. The opportunity has allowed me, as a consultant AHP, to engage in rheumatology service innovation with multidisciplinary teams, patients and carers. As an allied health professional, I am fully engaged across the global community and share ideas, teach and learn in order to innovate and transform services, for example with practices in the developing field of diagnostic ultrasound clinics. Moving forward, we can all explore new ways of working for rehabilitation, health and wellbeing.”
Member involvement is highly valued because you are needed. Working with us is an opportunity for you to help shape our future and make a difference, gain exposure to new communities and networks, learn new skills or simply ‘give something back.’
Here are just some ways you can get involved:
Leadership and networking
We have a range of opportunities for members wanting to develop leadership and strategy skills. Joining a committee or a council mean you contribute to exciting projects that make a real difference, such as delivering Annual Conference and our educational programme, working on service improvement, and developing policy. By volunteering your time and skills, you help us deliver our strategy and leave a legacy for yourself in rheumatology.
The next elections round for committees and council is this autumn; remember to nominate yourself when the round opens.
Influence and impact
We regularly seek support from members when we update position statements or review guidelines. We also launched our Rheumatology Taster Days in 2019 with the support of members. These give students an insight into what it’s like to work in rheumatology, as well as the opportunity to network with rheumatologists, GPs and other MDT members and to meet rheumatology patients.
Engagement
We have a number of Special Interest Groups (SIGs). These are informal networks and a great hub for knowledge exchange. Led by our members, they've got an invaluable role to play in providing additional value.
We often invite members to write blogs or answer a few questions for us, just as we've done for Volunteers’ Week; this is an opportunity to raise your profile around the work you do.
Training
Our mentoring programme is the perfect way for members wanting to give something back to the community. By supporting others to shape their career, you can continue enhancing your leadership, communication and coaching skills. We host regular mentoring masterclasses to support mentors and mentees throughout the year.
Interested in finding out more about how to get more involved with our activities? Contact Erin Taylor, our Member Engagement Manager.