Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
My experience of studying a Trainee Nursing Associate Apprenticeship
This week is National Apprenticeship Week, a week-long celebration that brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider community.
Leeds Beckett University offers a number of apprenticeships across its schools and we’re going to find out more about the Trainee Nursing Associate which is offered in the School of Health.
Tom Riley, who is now an Associate Lecturer at Leeds Beckett, completed his degree apprenticeship (DA) in 2021 and has been telling us about his experience.
Why did you decide to study a Degree Apprenticeship?
“I started working at Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust in 2015 as a clinical support worker in haematology. I always felt I needed to do more for the patients and wanted to understand individuals’ psychological and physiological reactions to their health problems. I became frustrated due to my lack of knowledge in my capacity as a clinical support worker as I felt I could make a difference in supporting people in a more in-depth position.
One evening on the ward, when we were caring for a critically ill patient, a doctor remarked that I had a calm and reassuring manner towards the patient. On reflection of that incident, I decided to enrol on the Trainee Nursing Associate (TNA) apprenticeship in 2019.”
What made you choose Leeds Beckett University?
“I choose Leeds Beckett University because it offered the excellent support with my dyslexia, and I lived and worked in Leeds so fitted well with my studies.”
What did you get out of your course?
“During my TNA course I did my training on the Oncology ward. Here I gained communication skills working with the multi-disciplinary team and with patients and their families.
The challenges within my training were the academic work and overcoming my dyslexia on a daily basis. Fortunately, the university supported me by highlighting different techniques to use which assisted with my assignments and exams.”
What have you been doing since completing your Apprenticeship?
“I qualified in 2021 and became a Registered Nurse Associate in oncology where I stayed for 18 months before applying for a secondment position as a Learning Facilitator within the Pre-registration Education Team – I have a passion to assist individuals overcome their fears and challenges in training and achieve their goals.
In 2023, I applied for the secondment of an Associate Lecturer at Leeds Beckett as I felt I could pass on my experiences to the TNAs and support them with any difficulties. Working in this role, I have identified that most TNAs did not have any knowledge regarding their future developmental routes, therefore I am disseminating different routes for their career progression.
My future aspiration is to continue within higher education by supporting and shaping the NHS for the future.”
Nursing Associate Apprenticeship
Developed in partnership with local health care providers, the FdSc Nursing Associate Apprenticeship has been designed to offer organisations a flexible pathway for apprentices to achieve the requirements for the generic Nursing Associate Practitioner. Nursing Associates work with healthcare support workers and registered nurses to deliver care for patients and the public. FdSc Nursing Associate is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, successful completion of the course provides eligibility to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a nursing associate.
Find out more about the School of Health.
