At YHEC, our close connection with the University of York’s prestigious MSc in Health Economics programme is incredibly important. Every year, we welcome MSc students to undertake summer work experience placements with us, giving them hands-on exposure to health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) and economic modelling.
To give a view into what the placement experience is really like, and how it can shape a career, we sat down with Barbara Uzdzinska, who first joined YHEC as a master’s placement student. Following this, Barbara joined YHEC as a Research Consultant and progressed to Senior Research Consultant within our NHS Consulting sector. Furthermore, to explore how hosting MSc students enriches YHEC, and where we see the work experience programme evolving, we also spoke with our CEO Matthew Taylor, who shared his perspective on why this relationship remains foundational to YHEC.
Q&A with Barbara Uzdzinska
Q: What initially attracted you to select YHEC for your placement opportunity over other options?
Before selecting placements during our master’s programme, we had a presentation session where Mat (CEO at YHEC) and a representative from the Centre for Health Economics (CHE) talked about the placement topics on offer that year.
That talk was really beneficial because it gave us a deeper understanding of the projects and allowed us to ask specific questions about the topics. The YHEC projects stood out to me as particularly interesting – they covered interesting methods and, importantly, practical modelling opportunities that I was keen to explore. Out of the six placement options YHEC offered that year, five of them made it into my top five choices.
I also already knew about YHEC before the placements and knew I wanted to apply to work here full-time, so I was incredibly keen to secure a placement with the team.
Q: Was there any particular aspect of your placement that helped you decide YHEC was the right place for you?
I actually already had a full-time job offer from YHEC before my placement officially started. The placements run over the summer, but I had received my job offer in early spring. However, spending the summer on the placement solidified that I would be really happy here and confirmed that YHEC was a great company to work for.
My first week on placement lined up with YHEC’s monthly staff social, and all placement students were invited along, which was a fantastic way to get to know people in a social context. It was also really nice to come into the office every day. For the first two weeks, placement students had the entire first floor to themselves, and after that, we could book hot desks across the office, which helped us integrate and meet everyone ahead of me joining full-time.
Everyone was so friendly, knowledgeable and supportive. As part of the placement, we had to deliver presentations, and colleagues from across YHEC took the time to listen, ask thoughtful questions, and offer constructive feedback. That willingness to help showed me that once I started working here permanently, I would have access to a wealth of knowledge across the whole YHEC team at any time.
Q: Can you tell us about a specific technical or soft skill you gained during your placement that you still use today?
I learnt a lot about economic modelling in a practical sense – formulas, model layout, reviewing and assessing the quality of evidence, identifying cost sources and so on – which wasn’t covered in depth in the master’s modules at the time. During the master’s, we focused mainly on basic decision trees. Learning how to build models practically at YHEC meant I could hit the ground running when I transitioned into my permanent role.
On a personal level, what I found particularly helpful was that my placement supervisors were from a different sector to the one I work in now. My supervisors were in the Pharmaceutical consulting sector, whereas I am now in the NHS consulting sector. While many methods cross over between the two sectors, some are sector-specific. Having supervisors outside my immediate day-to-day sector allowed me to pick up valuable technical skills from across YHEC that I still use today.
Q: When transitioning from being a placement student to a permanent staff member, how did YHEC support your onboarding and development?
I only had a month off between submitting my dissertation and starting full-time at YHEC. When I started, I wasn’t placed into a specific sector right away and the developmental lead at YHEC was my line manager. I began by building a practice model as part of my initial development. While new starters are typically placed into their sectors straight away now, I really enjoyed that approach as it allowed me to hone my technical skills and construct a practice model without the pressure of worrying about making a mistake on a client project.
When I moved into the NHS sector, I continued refining the practice model while taking on smaller, discrete tasks. It was a really smooth way to ease into the role.
In terms of onboarding, the transition was great because I already knew so many people from my placement. I didn’t have to worry about meeting a whole new group of people or getting lost in the building. YHEC’s Office Manager managed our onboarding both as placement students and as full-time staff, and that continuity made stepping into my full-time role feel comfortable and exciting rather than scary.
Q: What advice would you give to current or incoming MSc Health Economics students at York who are preparing for placements or stepping into healthcare consultancy?
My biggest piece of advice for placement students is to make full use of your supervisors and the time they give you as they possess a wealth of knowledge. Never be afraid to ask “silly” questions, as asking questions is truly the best way to learn and develop your technical skills.
Since joining YHEC, I’ve had the privilege of supervising placement students every year, and I love being on the other side of the process now. I always try to remain open and reassure students that I was asking the exact same questions when I was in their shoes.
If you are stepping into consultancy generally, the same rule applies – always ask questions. It is expected when you start a new role, so make the most of it! Use your first few months to absorb as much information as you can whilst settling in.
Finally, don’t limit yourself to your colleagues in your immediate sector. Reach out to colleagues across different sectors to learn about their techniques and projects. Even if the person you ask doesn’t know the answer directly, they will always point you toward the expert who does!
Q&A with Matthew Taylor
Q: How is YHEC’s connection with the University of York’s MSc in Health Economics programme and the offer of work experience foundational to YHEC’s wider mission?
As well as providing consultancy to industry and to health systems, YHEC also acts as a conduit of knowledge from the University of York. We aim to balance academic knowledge and best practice methods with real-world strategy and pragmatism. Some of the things that students learn on the courses are brilliant for foundational knowledge but aren’t always practical when it comes to everyday life in a national health system. Helping students to put their skills into practice in a real-world setting is a perfect fit for YHEC’s mission to deliver analysis and research for the public good.
Q: How does hosting MSc students benefit YHEC?
Often, whilst working on traditional consultancy projects, we spot something really interesting and note it down as a potential area for more research. Although these can be very important questions, they aren’t always the type of thing that funders will cover, so we don’t always have the chance to follow up, which is a shame. The students on the University’s courses are incredibly bright and curious, and working with them gives us an amazing opportunity to turn “That’s strange – I wonder what would happen if…?” into actual research. We try to publish their findings wherever possible, so hopefully the work doesn’t just benefit YHEC, but helps the industry as a whole.
Q: Looking ahead, how do you see the work experience programme evolving to ensure that students are equipped with the skills they need for future roles in economic modelling?
One of the phrases that I probably overuse with the students is “make sure that your work is USEFUL”. We always encourage them to stop and ask ‘why’ are they doing the work, ‘who’ it is going to help, and ‘how’ it will change things. Once they answer those questions, they start to see the bigger picture, and I hope that’s something that they’ll take into their future roles.
Interested in learning more about career pathways, training or placement opportunities at YHEC? Explore our Careers page or contact the team.