We lead several London-wide and national initiatives to improve practice-based learning in nursing. Our apprentices learn through activities and events including placement and Trust inductions, student forums, teaching sessions and ward rounds. We develop our programmes in partnership with NHS Trusts and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
We're proud of our strong reputation of working in partnership with Trusts and other employer organisations in London. We're responsive to local needs in our approach and we make sure that service users help to design our programmes too.
We support apprentices with any challenges they face on and off their course with comprehensive support from academic tutors and help from our Student Welfare team. Through our programmes and employability support, we make sure apprentices have the skills they need for the future with 90% graduate employability on our nursing courses (DLHE 2017).
“I was working as a Health Care Assistant but the role had its limitations and I have lots of aspirations. So I asked my NHS Trust employers how I could progress in my career and they told me about this apprenticeship.
“The Trainee Nursing Associate programme is a means of making my dream come true – becoming a scrub nurse. I’ve gained confidence in what I do and extended my knowledge. My fellow workers in the hospital have inspired me to meet excellence standards and provide great patient-centred care.
“I’ve had a good experience at Middlesex so far. They have paid a lot of attention to us students and there is lots of detail in the training.
“My main goal in life is to do what you love. Then your job stops being just a job, and becomes a wonderful blessing.”
We're leading a project to develop a model of practice learning that can be adapted to different contexts where apprentices and students learn. STEP: Strengthening Team-based Education in Practice is HEE funded and involves practice partners and other higher education institutions in north London.
The STEP model follows a social model of learning and takes a collaborative approach that recognises and strengthens the educational input of all team members in placement learning. It all helps to enhance the learners experience of the programme.
“I was a Nursing Assistant for six years which I loved - it's hard work but very rewarding. I strive to be the best that I can be and to learn new skills but as a Nursing Assistant I found that my learning opportunities were limited.
“When I saw applications for the Trainee Nursing Associate programme were open, it felt like the time was right to move forward in my life and with my career.
“I’m a proud member of the first cohort of Trainee Nursing Associates from my NHS Trust and I intend to be an ambassador for the role.
“I put my heart and soul into everything I do. This is something I have wanted to do for a long while so I won't let them, the Trust, or myself down and I'm looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.”
