Sofiya
Mehmet

Sofiya Mehmet is a 25-year-old alumna from Brentwood, completed her BSc in Sport Science and Coaching and MRes in Exercise Physiology at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) during the 2019-2020 academic year.

She is currently a Clinical Physiologist specialising in Respiratory within the NHS. Sofiya's decision to pursue postgraduate studies at NTU was mainly influenced by the specialised nature of the exercise physiology course and the university's outstanding facilities. Her postgraduate experience was highlighted by practical sessions, close connections with peers and module leaders, and engaging with fascinating concepts such as fatigue kinetics and the hormonal responses of females to intense exercise.

Sofiya's decision to pursue postgraduate studies at NTU was mainly influenced by the specialised nature of the exercise physiology course and the university's outstanding facilities.

Sofiya: NTU postgraduate courses aligned with my job prospects, specifically exercise physiology. The course appealed to me the most as it was a specialised area within sport science, it was also the most stimulating module for me within my undergraduate degree which is why I wanted to pursue it further. I was also keen to study at NTU, the university had amazing facilities and the sport side was amazing!

Her postgraduate experience was highlighted by practical sessions, close connections with peers and module leaders, and engaging with fascinating concepts.

Sofiya: There were many studies throughout my degree that I found interesting within the exercise physiology module. Fatigue kinetics being one of many, it was a very interesting study to take part in, studying fatigue kinetics and its relation to exercise and athletic performance whilst looking at the physiological determents which limits an individual's ability to sustain exercise was fascinating. I also researched between gender, hormones, and exercise. Looking at female’s hormone response in relation to intense exercise is also another concept I found interesting, researching into females and sport was not something I had researched before.

Overall, I had the best experience. My highlights are the practical sessions, each session was something new and you get to take part in the experimental trials. I also become close with the people and module leaders on the course which made it fun and enjoyable.

Outside the lecture halls, she volunteered at Nottingham City Hospital:

Sofiya: To help further my studies I chose to volunteer at Nottingham City Hospital in the Clinical Respiratory research centre. I was able to observe the collection and processing of body samples including blood, nasal and lung tissue. I assisted with breathing tests and ECGs on patients on a clinical trial, which helped me gain experience in a professional clinical setting. This experience supported my studies and the career that I wanted to get into to.

Sofiya's shared a glimpse into her current role in the NHS that involves conducting various pulmonary function tests and exercise tests, and how obtaining additional qualifications helped her progress as a Clinical Physiologist:

Sofiya: Since graduating NTU I now work within the NHS, my official job title is Clinical Physiologist. Within in this role I specialise in respiratory and perform different pulmonary function tests and Cardiopulmonary Exercise tests on a variety of different patients. To get to this level I had to obtain my ARTP qualification (Association for Respiratory Technology and Physiology), I worked and trained in a clinical setting for two years before undertaking my professional exams. The professional examinations are difficult, but they are worth all the hard work for the outcome!

Day to day I perform pulmonary function tests to evaluate disease progression, help aid diagnosis for patients, disability evaluation, pre surgery, fitness for surgery and research trials. Most of the patients that I encounter have specific lung diseases and age from as young as 5 to the ages of 95, this includes COPD, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, motor neurone disease, cardiac and many more.

Sofiya shared her career choice was motivated by personal experience, following her unfortunate uncle's battle with a rare lung disease:

Sofiya: Unfortunately, the circumstances my uncle found himself in led him to being diagnosed with a very rare lung disease (PVOD), sadly he passed away due to this disease. This highlighted the issue and the lack of resources and respiratory physiologists to me throughout his treatment, leading to my keen encouragement and motivation to develop into respiratory.

Working in healthcare led me to help others and find a sense of fulfilment.

Reflecting on challenges faced during her postgraduate studies in 2020, adapting to remote learning and support due to COVID-19, was difficult which Sofiya overcame by developing self-discipline and determination:

Sofiya: COVID-19 negatively impacted my degree, the interactive learning and support and being at home throughout my studies was challenging. Overcoming this challenge led me to become more self-disciplined and determined. Adapting in the NHS post COVID-19 had slight challenges, including patients that were classed as vulnerable and the increase in number of cases of long COVID and the negative impacts it is having on people’s day to day life.

Sofiya's work contributes to society by aiding in diagnoses and long-term patient care:

Sofiya: Working in the NHS means that I am always helping others in society, performing pulmonary function test aids in the diagnosis process for patients which helps with medication and long-term help and support.

She observes emerging trends in Sport Science, notably the use of AI, VR, and the increasing participation of women in sports:

Sofiya: This is one of the topics I love reading about the most, emerging trends include AI technology and virtual reality (VR). AI technology and VR has become more extremely popular with in sport, the use of AI helping develop athlete performance analysis as well providing workout recommendations based on an individual's physical and health levels, as well as personal fitness goals. The use of wearable technology to analyse individual metric data, as well as in the use of various sports disciplines is becoming increasingly popular.

Most importantly, the increase in participation of women in sport has become a huge emerging development within sport science. The recent win in the women’s Euros amplified development and participation in sport which inspired many women. It gave women confidence to take that into playing sport or encourage them to get involved within sport/sport science domain. More importantly, it is the start of a change to the stigma that surrounds inequality in sport and creating a safer place for women which is important to me.

NTU played a vital role in her career development, providing a variety of practical support:

Sofiya: NTU helped me in every aspect to achieve my career goals, from the variety of different modules, the practical lab sessions, the one-to-one support, the interactive lectures, and external talks guided me to career today. My time at NTU taught me key communication skills along with my professionalism, which I use daily. It helped me develop confidence, approachability and bubbly personality which are key skills that are valuable in my career. My studies helped me develop my existing knowledge of physiology and apply it to a clinical setting. I wouldn't have got this far into my career without help from NTU!

On support from NTU's tutors and staff she shares:

Sofiya: At NTU they are dedicated to supporting you within your studies, throughout my studies there was always support available and tutors and staff dedicated time to me. I genuinely had the most amazing tutors that I built a rapport with, they made the whole process of university enjoyable, lectures interesting and a joy to be around, I cannot fault any of them!

Despite initial challenges settling in, Sofiya found it easy to make friends and engage in the university's social life:

Sofiya:  When starting my journey at NTU I struggled to settle in as most people would, it was a whole new experience and adapting to a complete lifestyle. However, I found it easy to make friends as everyone was in the same boat and very sociable! As my journey went on, I met the most amazing people and settled quickly into NTU, the social side to the university was one of the factors that I loved so much. It was easy to join sport societies, met people on my course and even on nights out which helped me immensely to make friends and enjoy my NTU experience.

Sofiya enjoys playing sports, travelling, and she aspires to complete a PhD related to football physiology:

Sofiya:  In my free time I like to stay fit and keep busy, I’m an avid runner, netball player and gym girl which takes up my free time. I’m a keen traveller and always like to explore different places. A particular interest of mine is wanting to complete a PhD in relation to football and physiology, and eventually having the opportunity to work in women's football for experience.

Words of wisdom: If you had a time machine, what would you tell your student-self?

Sofiya: Enjoy university because they are best years of your life and don’t take the time you have there for granted!

You can follow Sofiya's journey beyond her studies on social media:

LinkedIn: Sofiya Mehmet