Abi Holden is a national champion in women’s singles, has represented England on several occasions including winning bronze in the European Team Championships and has won four international competitions.
After her badminton career ended early because of repeat injuries, Abi has transitioned to explore a medical career.
Soon after leaving the sport, she began working as a Radiology Department Assistant, drawn to this career path by her desire to help people.
“I chose Radiology specifically because of the combination of technology and anatomy. An interest that I think I developed from playing sport and dealing with various injuries and rehabilitation processes.”
During her time at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, she rotated through different modalities of radiology, getting experience in a range of departments, including CT, MRI, ultrasound, and more. Her role was varied, ranging from supporting radiologists in ultrasound-guided interventional procedures to cannulating patients and handling the administrative side.
While still competing and training full-time Abi completed a degree in biology through the Open University. Having to juggle her time, especially during busy competition periods or physical training blocks, wasn’t easy but having something outside of the sport was something she found beneficial.
“mentally especially, it was great having something else to switch my mind to”
After her badminton career, she applied for the position through NHS jobs and completed the interview process to secure the role.
“My favourite thing about working in radiology was that I was learning so much every day, I was fortunate to be working with a variety of colleagues from whom I learnt so much. This also allowed me to develop an understanding of other roles in the hospital too, by communicating with and shadowing other healthcare professionals.”
The hardest thing for Abi was the huge change in the environment. After 7 years of full-time Badminton, leaving her teammates to work in a new setting was a challenge. Using her skills from her sports career, she was able to embrace that challenge, and it became apparent to Abi this was a career path she wanted to pursue.
“I have learnt so many invaluable skills from my time as a badminton player; attention to detail, resilience, self-motivation, dedication and most importantly having the ability to be able to work in both a team and also independently”
As a result of her experience at Royal Berkshire Hospital Abi has returned to education at the University of Reading to study for a Masters Degree that will allow her to continue her work in healthcare.