Open St. Mungo's Career Q&A

[Cyndi Kingsley]

A conference room within St. Mungo's was looking more like an auditorium after the woman had finished her magic, both the figurative and literal kind. A small stage held four comfy chairs, one for each speaker and herself. And slightly less comfy seats faced the small stage in preparation for the day's events. To finish off the room, a table in the back held tea, coffee, juice, and water and some light snacks. The woman was excited for this one, a more intimate opportunity for individuals to get to know about the Healing career. She hoped for a good turn out.

Not too long later, guests already on stage and seats filled in the crowd, Cyndi Kingsley stood and began. "Welcome everyone. Today, we are here to have a conversation with three Healers of St. Mungo's and learn more about the work they do, the training they've received, and what advice they have to anyone looking to go into this career. During my time as a Head of House at Hogwarts New Zealand, I offered career advice but having not been in every single career, it could sometimes be challenging to offer real world knowledge about the ins and outs that my students yearned to know. Well, today, is that opportunity." The woman smiled at the crowd and then continued.

"We'll begin with some questions that I've prepared for our speakers, and then after, you all will be given the opportunity to bring forth your own questions. I hope that this will be a fulfilling experience for everyone. Before we begin, I'd like to introduce our speakers. First, we have August Chase, a healer-in-training; next, we have Indira Khatri, a General Practitioner healer who also engages in research throughout the hospital; and finally, we have Abian Hunter, a healer who specializes in Artefact Accidents. To get us started, can you each briefly let us know what led you to want to become a healer and if this career has met your expectations so far?" The professor settled into her seat as she finished the question, giving the floor to the speakers.

Out of Character:

[plot ID_#124331] Kingsley will ask the Healers three questions to get us started. After, the floor will open up to the audience to ask a question. When it is the audiences' turn, if you would like a specific Healer to answer your question, please tag them using @[their name]; otherwise, it'll be assumed that it's up for grabs for any healer to answer. Please also allow that healer/or at least one healer to answer before jumping in with another question.

Feel free to post your character's reactions throughout!

 

[Indira Khatri]

Indi wasn't sure what to expect from today's event. She hardly felt qualified to give anyone advice since she had only left school a few years ago herself. But she had started to think about Hogwarts more lately with Anisha's graduation coming fast. So when she had heard of an event for students she volunteered without really thinking about it. She sat on the small stage and pulled on her sleeves as she shifted in her seat, after three years of training she had a nagging feeling she was supposed to be somewhere else. Indi blinked when Professor Kingsley started to speak, or rather she was just Ms. Kingsley but that felt wrong, even in her head. As they were introduced she gave the audience a tight smile before standing. "Hello, my name is Indira Khatri and I am a healer at St. Mungo's. As P- Ms. Kingsley said I am a general practitioner which means I tend to treat the more mundane illnesses we all face." she said with her posture straight and voice clear despite her slight slip up. "Because of that I have also spent some time researching new medical treatments for said illnesses." she explained. "As for why I chose this career? Well I've always loved learning and there always seems like theres something new to learn about medicne. So far I've greatly enjoyed my time here at St. Mungo's helping people." Indi finished with a curt nod before taking her seat again.

 

[Abian Hunter]

Abian couldn't believe how fast time had gone. He had been a healer for years now and he still really enjoyed the work. He remembered how hard he'd had to work at Hogwarts for the right grades and occasionally still felt like an impostor, but thankfully less and less. When Professor Kingsley (who wasn't a professor anymore, but Abian couldn't help mentally calling her that) had approached him he had happily said yes. He listened as Professor Kingsley introduced them, then listened to Indi's answer. "Hello, I'm Abian Hunter. For me, I decided to be a healer when I realized I could use magic to help people. I'm muggleborn, so the whole concept of magic was new to me before I attended Hogwarts. When I learned about healing magic, I realized that perhaps I could help people who wouldn't have had a chance to live otherwise. My father died when I was young, and I always hoped I could help avoid that for other people if I studied hard." He smiled a little. "I ended up specializing in Artefact Acidents instead of illnesses, though, because I enjoy the variety. I like puzzling out how to help people in their specific situations." And there was something that came a bit too close when it came to seriously sick people, but he wasn't going to share that.

 

[August Chase]

August listened to what each of the healers had to say and he realised that what he'd said to Jacob before had been true, everyone had a story and it always just felt disingenuous to him. If you were in it for a reason that wasn't your calling, or if you were trying to get something out of it than he didn't think it was for you. When he'd left America, a big part of that had been to learn healing from different sources, and maybe even he would travel beyond the borders of New Zealand one day, but not until he was fully trained. He had a long way to go until then. "As Ms Kingsley said, I'm August Chase and I'm currently in training, so I think I have the best perception on how things are from your side than either of my colleagues here," he said, noting that they were both now fully trained healers. At some point he would like to learn from both of them. "Which means you might take it more to heart when I tell you that not everyone is cut out to be a healer and not everyone will have a story or a reason as to why. I'm here to tell you that it's okay not to know or have a reason or a story. I certainly don't. Pretty much from the time I could walk and hold a wand I knew this was what I would end up doing with my life. I didn't quite know then what it would look like, but it was the path I chose to walk even before I started school. And it is a path I will continue to walk until it's no longer beneath my feet. The programs are thorough and enlightening and I think the thing I like the most is beginning to understand how magic works in conjunction with the body."​

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

The woman smiled as they spoke. She knew two of the Healers, they'd been students during her time as a professor, and it was lovely to see how much they'd grown into their own. The third person she didn't know as well, but he'd come recommended by others when she'd been on her search for someone in training. The woman's smile slightly dimmed as he compared his perception as being better than the others but she recovered quickly.

"Thank you for those insights. You each bring such a unique perspective being from such varied stages and fields in this career." The professor looked at her notes before continuing on, "Outside of the grades you needed to qualify for training here, was there anything else from your schooling that has helped you in this field?"

 

[Finola McGowan]

Finola felt out of place at the Healer panel. She was much older than a lot of the guests, closer to being their parent than a colleague. But the nurse was looking for a career change. She had been a nurse for muggles for quite some time, but it was no longer fulfilling. And with her niece living with her and Siobhan, it felt like she should be taking steps to include more magic in their life so Daviana could see that it was normal, especially coming from living with her father.

Fin listened closely as the young healers and healer in training spoke about their experience, waiting to see if anything stuck out to her that could help her decide if this was the right career move.

 

[August Chase]

August thought for a moment wondering how best to consider the question. "I think, mostly, beyond the academics specifically, what helped was learning how to think and adapt critically. As a healer you learn that things are fast and it's not always about following a checklist - your can't rely just on your textbooks when you're face with a situation that doesn't fit into a neatly wrapped box of things you've studied." He glanced briefly at the others, wondering if they would agree with his assessment as they have been in the business longer than he has, and this was just what he'd picked up in his training. "Back at school, it wasn't just the subject, like potions or charms, that prepared me, though they're very important. It was the moments when things didn't quite to plan - projects that failed, spells that backfired and the group work we had to do with people who had completely different approaches to problem solving. That's where I learned how to work in a team and consider other approaches. It's where I properly learned patience, although I'm not sure I properly realised it at the time."

He gave a small shrug, a hint of a wry smile tugging at the sides of his mouth. "I also wouldn't underestimate the value of learning how to manage stress. Healing can often be very chaotic, and staying clam when things go wrong is just as critical as knowing the right spell or potion or plant."​