Life as an Apprentice at Rowans Hospice Charity
At Rowans Hospice Charity we take great delight in taking part in Apprenticeship schemes. Many people know that an apprenticeship is popular amongst school leavers, to help provide an important stepping stone into their chosen profession. However, we also offer apprenticeship opportunities to our employees by way of further development. To highlight National Apprenticeship Week we spoke with Jo who is one of our current Associate Nurses, following successful completion of the Nursing Associate Apprenticeship.
Meet Jo:
“My name is Jo and I have recently finished my apprenticeship and I am now an Associate Nurse following my studies at University. I originally worked as a support worker at Rowans Hospice Charity but I saw an advert for the Nursing Associate Apprenticeship which would give me a degree in Science and also move me up to band four. The bands are a way of ranking the qualifications within the Clinical team. Band four is a step up from a support worker, whilst qualified nurses are band five. Moving up a band has allowed me to carry out simple tasks myself that I would have needed assistance with before.
The application process for the role was really easy and I heard back within one week. I then had an interview shortly after and was very pleased to have been successful. Throughout my training I studied one day a week; during the first year this was at the University however, due to COVID-19 restrictions my studies were conducted virtually from home instead throughout my second year. In addition, I had different placements across the two years and found the Mental Health placement particularly interesting and insightful. I did enjoy all of the placements, especially in QA as I had previously worked there.
The best thing I took away from the apprenticeship is that I can now give, not only personal care, but real time and support to our patients as I am a qualified Associate Nurse. This was the next step in my career and it was great to be able to do this with the Charity’s support.
My advice for anyone looking to take a similar route is to be prepared for how difficult it is. I was a full time student as well as having a full time job. I had to put a lot of hours in and motivate myself but it is all worth it in the end!”
If you, or somebody you know, would be interested in learning more about Apprenticeships with Rowans Hospice Charity please contact our Team on hr@rowanshospice.co.uk We would love to hear from you and help you start your career.