Profile
Katie Rutterford
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About Me:
I live with my husband and black labrador Leo in the North East 🐾. I’m a respiratory physiologist 🫁 and outside of work I love doing ice skating and dancing ⛸️💃🏻
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I have been doing my current job for nearly 8 years, starting with nearly no knowledge about it and now I am a specialist! Outside of work I love spending time with my family and friends, going on walks with our dog, and trying new food places. I’m also a big Harry Potter fan!
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My pronouns are:
She/her
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My Work:
I measure how well people are breathing and how well their lungs are working!👩🏻⚕️🫁
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I am a specialist respiratory physiologist – this means I use machines to test how well people breathe and their lungs work. They blow as long and as fast as they can into a machine and I’ll measure how much air is in their lungs!
I also look at how people are breathing when they sleep and this involves a lot of work on the computer. I also love doing research and improving things for both staff and patients!
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My Typical Day:
I wake up at 5:30am (!) and get ready, meditate and have breakfast. I then drive to work to start at 8am. I see patients and measure how well their lungs are working in a big glass box. I finish work at 6pm then return home to walk my dog Leo!
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5:30am – wake up, get ready, meditate
7am – leave for work – it normally takes me 45 mins to get there!
8am – start work – I normally will see a few patients in the morning for their breathing tests as the appointment can take 1 hour.
12:30pm – lunchtime and get everything ready for the afternoon clinic.
1:30pm – see more patients for breathing tests then do some sleep measurements (patients take a machine home and we look at it the next day).
6pm – home time! Once I get home we walk Leo, then make tea and get ready for the next day.
9pm (ish) – bedtime!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I’d like to advocate for more awareness of our role by hopefully influencing older children that this job exists and how they can go forward after school to get there.
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Education:
I went to schools in Cramlington, near Newcastle in the North East. I then went to Sheffield Hallam university and Northumbria university for my degrees.
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Qualifications:
GCSE’s: Maths, Science, English, Humanities, PE, Drama, ICT and French
A-Levels: Biology, Pyschology and English Language
Undergraduate degree: BSc Sport and Exericse Science (Hons)
Postgraduate degree: MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology
Professional qualification: ARTP Practitioner
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Work History:
Front-of-House waitress, and eventually team leader at a pub/restaurant – this is where I finished before I started my current job nearly 8 years ago!
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Current Job:
Specialist Respiratory Physiologist
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Employer:
NHS
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Kind, nerdy and sporty
What did you want to be after you left school?
I can’t remember - maybe something to do with sports!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not really! I was a bit of a goody two-shoes
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I would love to dance on stage and theatre
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I have a wide variety of music so I can’t pick just one!
What's your favourite food?
A good Sunday roast!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1) To be less shy, 2) I could unlimitedly travel the world, and 3) I could cook better!
Tell us a joke.
I'm terrible at jokes!
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