The first Registered Nurse Degree Apprentices in England have
begun their studies at Northumbria University, Newcastle.
The government announced a Registered Nursing Degree
apprenticeship scheme in 2016 to enable people to train to become a graduate
registered nurse through an apprenticeship route. Working in collaboration with Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust, Northumbria University was approved by the Nursing and
Midwifery Council to deliver the UK’s first 18-month nursing degree
apprenticeship which began in September.
Eight apprentice nurses, who all work as Assistant Practitioners in Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital and Royal Victoria Infirmary, are now well
into their studies. When they complete the course in March 2020, they will
be the first ever Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeships qualified nurses in
the country.
Wendy Parry said she
was glad to be part of the first cohort at Northumbria. “I think it’s a
great opportunity to use our background experience and the skills we already
need to improve and develop our nursing careers further. It also gives us the
chance to learn the underpinning knowledge behind the things we do already in
practice,” she said.
Matt Diment added:
“We have been on location from the beginning of our apprenticeship and the
course here at Northumbria has increased our awareness of time-management and
our ability to transfer that to our existing practice in a hospital situation.”
Professor Alison Machin, Head of the Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health at Northumbria University, said: “We are delighted to be
working with Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to deliver our
first ever degree nursing apprenticeship programme.
“Our collaboration builds on a long history of successful
partnership working in undergraduate and postgraduate education of nurses and
other health professionals. We are also working together on several exciting
nursing, midwifery and allied health professions research projects, including
an evaluation of this Degree Nurse Apprenticeship.”
Maurya Cushlow, Executive Chief Nurse at Newcastle Hospitals, added: “It’s fantastic to
see this initiative off the ground now and I’m incredibly proud to see our
partnership in Newcastle at the forefront of this national development.
“As well as empowering and supporting our
talented healthcare assistants to develop and qualify as registered nurses,
this 18-month apprenticeship gives us the perfect opportunity to grow our own
workforce.
“It supports our clear pathways of
professional development here at the Newcastle Hospitals, and we’re excited to
watch the country’s first cohort of high calibre apprentices flourish towards
becoming fully qualified, registered nurses in 2020. We wish them all every
success.”
The course has been approved by the Nursing and Midwifery
Council with advanced standing of 50% applied. Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust is funding it using the government’s Apprenticeship Levy
scheme.
Degree apprenticeships combine university study and
workplace learning to enable employees to gain new knowledge and skills whilst
completing a degree. This Degree Apprenticeship is delivered in flexible
delivery modes. The delivery model includes 20% time away from the workplace to
enable development of theory to practice.
Northumbria University offers a range of degree apprenticeship courses in other subjects, including Business Leadership and
Management Practice; Quantity Surveying; Risk and Compliance and a Solicitor
degree apprenticeship.
Full information and details visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/degreeapprenticeship
