Black History Month – Darlene
As we continue our Black History Month series, we’re joined by Darlene Chitsa, a rehabilitation case manager in our PMI team. Darlene has been with us for over a year now and is experienced in assessing and understanding client needs. If she wasn’t doing this role, Darlene would have liked to have been a policewoman, but we’re glad she chose HCML!
What does your role involve?
The first port of call when we get a new case in is a telephone assessment with the injured person.
Once we have spoken to the client, we then need to put together an initial assessment report outlining the injuries and our recommendations for treatment. A major part of my role is providing support and reassurance to clients.
What made you consider a role in healthcare?
I love helping and assisting people. My role is about helping our clients get back to the best quality of life possible, which is something I am hugely passionate about. Growing up, my mother was a nurse and I can remember visiting open days as a child where I would go and see my Mum helping people. She was hugely aspirational.
How did you then get into the healthcare sector?
Thanks to my interest in healthcare, I took A-level sport and had a huge interest in human anatomy and physiology. After leaving school I started working in a care home as a care assistant. There was a physiotherapist who would come in once a week who let me observe treatments. This sparked further interest, so I applied for a university degree to study sports rehabilitation. Fast forward 4 years and here I am at HCML.
What are the hardest and most rewarding parts of your role?
Knowing which treatment path is the right one for your client can be challenging at times, trying to get a full picture of what they are experiencing and how they feel. But understanding how important the biopsychosocial model is when working with clients really helps to identify their needs. Being able to close a case when the client sees results is immensely satisfying and seeing them progress is absolutely the best part of the job.