Climbing my own Lucid Ladder

Transforming lives. That’s what Lucid is all about. I knew that even before I stepped through the fabled door of ‘Towers’ on a chilly January morning in 2019. It’s why I took the job. And since that fateful day, Lucid has proved to me time and again that I’m in the right place. Encouraged to be the best version of myself. Encouraged to take risks. Encouraged to ask questions and innovate. Not only as part of the out-of-the-box, life-changing medical communication programmes I’ve been lucky to play a part in developing, but on a personal level too.

It’s true to say my career has been unconventional. I’ve carved my own path, pausing long enough to take bearings along the way. And it’s all turned out OK.

I’ve had wonderful mentors and managers who have encouraged me in my career choices, most recently allowing me to climb my very own ‘Lucid Ladder’ and transition into the Talent team from Client Services; reaffirming that I am most definitely in the right place. But how did I get here?

Opportunity

An opportunity early in my career drew me to medical education quite by accident. The beautiful, porticoed building of the Royal College of Surgeons in London was my base for three transformative years where I worked as hard as I played, met some truly awe-inspiring medical professionals and embraced unimaginable opportunity. Flying in a Sea King helicopter over San Carlos Water in the Falkland Islands alongside a team of emergency-medicine professionals was not somewhere I thought I’d be but it’s somewhere I’m incredibly glad I was. Invited guests of the Falkland Islands Government, we were welcomed into this humble, battle-scarred South Atlantic community for 2 weeks. We were simply there to educate civilian and military personnel in trauma skills but somehow my life would never be the same again.

Passion for people

During these formative years I found a passion for people, and a belief that investing time and resources in training and developing people is paramount.

I then worked for a Manchester-based medical education charity whose motto –‘saving life by providing training’ – carved this passion deeper onto my heart every day. Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG) is a small charity developing international training programmes for healthcare professionals. Here I witnessed what I can only term ‘professional kindness’ and belief in a vision that medical education and training improves patient outcomes. Alongside my project management role, I was fortunate to take some HR responsibilities which allowed me to practise what I fervently believed about the value of investing in people.

Healthcare communications

Medical communications. Health outcomes. Metrics. Compliance. A dizzying array of pharmaceutical jargon greeted me when, looking for my next challenge, I made a move into medical communications. Although I wasn’t familiar with the industry, I rightly judged this would allow me to remain true to my formative belief that training improves outcomes.

From the day I accepted a job at Lucid I’ve not looked back. From the start I’ve been presented with opportunity and support to achieve my dreams while continuing to work in an industry I believe makes a difference to patients’ lives. Any company offering Wellbeing Wednesdays, Thirsty Thursdays, Management Magic, that has a cross-company cohort of Innovation Champions, is a place I want to be. Lucid truly transforms lives.

When I joined Lucid my focus was to foster a small but perfectly formed rare disease account, which, with some amazing teamwork, has now been transformed into a client partnership to be proud of, recently delivering a virtual medical education programme hosted by internationally renowned experts and patient representatives to more than 350 attendees from 57 countries. This creative partnership with a valued and collaborative pharmaceutical client continues to create pioneering solutions that change behaviour, improve clinical practice and advance health outcomes. Something we are all incredibly proud of.

Career development

When looking for my next challenge I didn’t need to look far to find an opportunity. Lucid focuses on its people and their growth, so when I saw we were broadening our Talent Acquisition team I saw no reason why I couldn’t apply. This was somewhere I’d hope I could make a difference. It hadn’t been done before, but the more I thought about it, the more logical it seemed: I understand what clients are looking for; I know what it’s like to deliver to deadlines as part of an amazing Lucid client team; I have a passion for transforming lives, a knowledge of personnel practice, and experience in recruitment as a hiring manager. All in all it seemed like an obvious move to me – and others from across Lucid thought it a great idea too.

And here I stand at the start of a new chapter, excitingly looking forward to the next stage of my journey, but now as part of a wonderful team of proud HR professionals. I know I have a lot to learn but I also know I’ll be supported to make the best of my latest opportunity.

While it’s vital that you feel aligned to your chosen company’s values, in the longer term it’s about finding a company that is not afraid to offer unconventional career opportunities. Personal goals and aspirations evolve, and we all change. Lucid recognises and supports this. All I had to do was be brave enough to jump.

If You’re looking to make the jump to find a new company; one that will support you and your career, then please get in touch. We’re always looking for new talent to join us. You can check out our open roles here or contact me directly on LinkedIn or:
elaine.downey@wearelucidgroup.com
07850 915 593