Apprentices enrolled in a popular nursing programme at a local university have celebrated significant recognition at national awards this year.
The University of Salford apprenticeship programme is one of the most popular in the North West and gets consistently high ratings in the National Student Survey. What is a Trainee Nursing Associate? The Nursing Associate role was introduced to bolster the Registered Nursing workforce, ensuring the delivery of person-centred care across various health and social care settings.
The training programme spans a minimum of two years, culminating in a Foundation Degree Apprenticeship as a Nursing Associate. She explained: "My starting point within the NHS was as a 17-year-old nursing cadet. Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to go to university full-time for three years so the TNA programme was ideal for me as it allowed me to qualify whilst working at the same time.
"The proof of this is that I was the first Nursing Associate to work in an intensive care unit, which was initially thought impossible. This alternative route to higher-level qualifications can be accessed by current employees or used as a tool to attract new talent to the business. She said: "I always had a side interest in health, fitness and nutrition but a career change was not an option as I had a young family to support."I took a job as a receptionist and less than 12 months into the role the manager allowed me to take a side step.
There were definitely elements I had no experience in but this allowed me to further deepen my knowledge and gain exposure and learning in all areas." Karen Idle, Service Director, said: "I wouldn’t look back, to be honest. Our apprentice Sara has just developed and grown in confidence, she likes that challenge and I've just seen her grow and develop."