Gabrielle's story
I felt empowered to find my own path while also feeling secure that I was being guided in the right direction.” Gabrielle Boutin
Biomedical Science BSc
“I initially left school at 16 to study fashion merchandising, but found myself increasingly drawn to a career in healthcare. I loved working with patients, so decided to pursue nursing. After completing an Access to HE course and the first year of a Nursing degree, I realised that I wanted to focus more on the scientific aspects of medicine, so applied to the Biomedical Science BSc at Sussex.
I immediately fell in love with the spectacular campus and community culture, where everyone was so warm and welcoming. My course was fantastic, and I was taught by experts who had written books and worked for major organisations such as the . Over time, I became increasingly interested in cardiac care, which also became the focus of my dissertation, and I felt so proud when it was published in a leading cardiology journal.
One of the most phenomenal aspects of my Sussex experience was the support I received from the Careers and Entrepreneurship team. They not only gave me the practical skills to develop professionally, but helped me to build my confidence and self-esteem. They advised me to apply for roles in the NHS while I was studying, and taught me how to write effective application forms. They read so many drafts, offered so many mock interviews, and gave me so many pep talks. They were committed and reliable, and invested so much time into giving me personalised feedback. I felt empowered to find my own path while also feeling secure that I was being guided in the right direction.
After gaining experience in a range of different areas, I decided I wanted to become a perfusion scientist, which involves controlling life support machines during cardiopulmonary surgery. It’s a pretty niche area to get into, but also extremely competitive. My Careers and Entrepreneurship adviser pushed me to believe in myself and be proactive – she encouraged me to develop an interview script for initial enquiries, and gave me the framework I needed to arrange over a dozen visits to different cardiac teams where I was able to grow my networks and learn more about the application process.
I recently started my dream role as a trainee cardiac perfusionist in Southampton, which will also involve further study. I’m interested in using this experience to gain more specialist knowledge in areas like paediatrics and chemotherapy. People are living longer now, and I feel so proud that my work will not only help to prolong their lives, but their quality of life too. I couldn’t have achieved this without Sussex – I feel like my time at the University helped me to assemble the puzzle pieces of my skills and experience into a jigsaw that aligns with who I am and where I want to go.”