Weaving together health care, education, research and complementary health have all formed the foundations of Dr Wendy Maddocks study and working life.
“Most of working life has been based around Palmerston North both in health as a registered nurse and in tertiary education. I have also run an export business. My entire professional life has involved study in some form as I have advanced my practice and skills.”
Wendy who is currently the only health professional in New Zealand who has a research doctorate exploring the use of specific complementary therapies in health care in a clinical setting. Her innovative research into using essential oils in the management of radiation induced mucositis provided the background to developing the range of completely natural skin care.
That isn’t what brought her to UCOL though, Wendy was embarking on a large scale project and needed to hone her skills in project management. “As an adult learner with several qualifications I really appreciated the opportunity to gain a qualification in a slightly different field. I knew I needed some upskilling and knowledge around project management and the
New Zealand Certificate in Project Management level 4 was a perfect introduction into this area without being too much of a burden.”
“UCOL offered the certificate my employers felt was helpful to my role and through the
eCampus NZ online platform there was support from the course lecturer. In addition staff from UCOL made contact from time to time to make sure the process was going as it should. The eCampus NZ platform offered me a flexible learning experience as I travel a huge amount with my job so I needed to be able to access resources from all around the country and overseas.”
The skills Wendy learned while doing this course can now be applied to the work she does with the
New Zealand Defence Force, her own business
From Nature Limited, and to generally keep her on track as she has commitments as a business owner, author, facilitator, and keynote speaker to name but a few.
“While being involved in projects before I had never formally studied project management and the theories behind it, this course has meant I have the skills to manage bigger projects and work more efficiently.”