Lorraine
Hooper

"I studied my CIPFA course as part of my trainee accountant post in the NHS. Close to sitting my final exams I secured my Group Finance Manager role at University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

"I am now responsible for budgets in Neurosciences and Therapies totalling just less than £30m per annum. I am required to work closely with operational colleagues in the hospital to ensure that spend is appropriate and targets are achieved. The NHS is a challenge as resources will never be as great as everyone would like and it is this element of the job that I really enjoy.

"Studying CIPFA means working four days a week, going to college for one day and studying in your own time. This is immensely difficult and pressured and everyone feels like throwing in the towel at times. The motivation and enthusiasm of the staff was one of the things that kept me going, they were always willing to respond to emails and phone calls and provide a confidence boost when needed.

"I never realised when doing my course that the skills I was being taught really would be the skills I needed in a qualified accountant’s post. The lecturer’s insistence on sticking to this principle and really hammering home the point have meant I am able to cope with the challenges I now face on a day to day basis."