Xinru and her daughter, Tamara.
Mother of one Xinru Zhang has been an English teacher, a tour operator, a health food exporter and a business owner over her 30-year career, but working in medicine is where she really wants to be.
“I’ve always wanted to work in a job where I could help people get better,” she says.
Xinru is in her first Semester of study for a Bachelor of Health Science in Medical Imaging through Unitec’s School of Healthcare, and she says it’s a dream come true.
It’s a highly competitive course, and Xinru credits Unitec’s Careers team for helping set her on the path to success, offering her advice, support and mentoring throughout the application process.
“Elizabeth, Di and Kylie were all incredibly helpful,” she says. “They did several mock interviews with me, and gave me great practical advice on how to handle questions and draw on what I had learned in my foundation course.
“Nothing felt like too much trouble with them – they were so generous with their time.”
Xinru had been concerned that her lack of hands-on healthcare and medical experience would make becoming a medical imaging technologist difficult, so she completed a six-month Bridgepoint course in study and career preparation last year, specialising in health.
She says the Level 4 course provided a great base to explore career options in health, and gave her valuable foundation skills on which she could build a specialisation.
“I knew that in order to get into medical imaging, I’d need to do an interview and a test – which worried me,” she says. “But Di in the Careers team was there to help me – she really wants her students to succeed.”
“For anyone considering a career in medical imaging, I’d say build up your health or science experience first,” says Xinru. “Brush up on your communication and interview skills too, and then put your best foot forward.
“I did, and I really feel like I’ve found my passion.”