New nursing associate apprenticeship offers specialist skills boost for healthcare 

A new apprenticeship programme at University College Birmingham is set to provide a boost for the health sector by developing skills for specialist areas of the nursing profession.

The University has worked in collaboration with a range of healthcare organisations to develop the new Nursing Associate Apprenticeship, which is being run for the first time this month.

The Level 5 foundation degree (FdSc) apprenticeship will welcome several cohorts over the course of the year with each dedicated to a different specialism, enabling apprentices to gain essential skills and knowledge specific to their area of work.

Working in partnership with University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Foundation Trust, the University's first cohort will be trained for specialist work in critical care, providing practical training for the unique challenges of this field.

The apprentices will have the chance to hone their skills in a controlled environment, running simulations in a dedicated critical care bay within the University's cutting-edge Health Skills and Simulation Suite in Moss House.

Leoni Allen, clinical educator for UHB NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This is the first time we have partnered with University College Birmingham and we wanted to do specialist recruitment, going into critical care.

"The apprentices will have a bed space where we can set up scenarios they might experience out on the wards and in critical care. They will be hit with a lot of things working on an ITU, so it's really important to simulate here so that they can practise within a safe environment."

Introduced within the sector to boost the capacity of the nursing workforce and help bridge the gap between healthcare assistants and graduate nurses, nursing associates provide care and support to service users within a variety of settings.

Combining training on campus with a circuit of diverse placements as well as three days per week in the workplace, University College Birmingham's two-year foundation degree apprenticeship is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), enabling apprentices to formally register as a Nursing Associate on completion.

Opportunities are also available to progress onto further study and training, including 'top-up' degrees at the University such as Health and Social Care BSc (Hons) or our Adult Nursing BSc (Hons) course, the latter enabling completing graduates to attain Registered Nurse status with the NMC.

Following on from the first cohort training in critical care, future Nursing Associate apprentices will be able to train in other specialist areas ranging from mental health to working in prisons, with the University having developed further partnerships with organisations including Cygnet Health Care, Practice Plus Group (Health in Justice) and Birmingham Community Healthcare Trust.

Marina Kendrick, Head of Healthcare Workforce Development and Apprenticeships at University College Birmingham's Department of Health, said: "We have partnered with UHB and other organisations to look for these specialist cohorts.

"Our staff have worked on the programme together in order for it to be what the employer wants, which is what a true apprenticeship should be, and all within the guidelines of the NMC."