Nursing Associate Apprenticeship

Program Overview

You will learn in state-of-the-art Clinical Simulation Centres and complete supervised clinical placements. Upon completion, you will have guaranteed employment as a qualified Nursing Associate within your organization. This program prepares you for a rewarding career in various healthcare settings.

Program Outline

Outline:

Year 1

• Compulsory Modules:
• Understanding Health and Illness across the Lifespan:
This module introduces students to the fundamentals of human anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. They will develop their knowledge of the human body across the lifespan from conception to old age through a systems approach. An understanding of how the systems work together to maintain both physical and mental homeostasis will be developed by addressing both normal and abnormal anatomy and physiology. This knowledge will support students in their assessment skills, interpreting investigations, providing the rationale for care and interventions and ongoing monitoring. To contextualise the abnormal anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology students will be introduced to relevant long-term conditions (physical, mental, cognitive and behavioural) across the lifespan. In addition, students will be introduced to basic pharmacology principles.
• Developing Professional and Academic Skills for Nursing Associates: This module is designed to enable students to develop the professional behaviours and academic skills required for lifelong learning and a career in healthcare.
Students will start developing critical thinking skills to enable them to find, read and understand relevant information as well as be introduced to the concept of evidence-based practice. This module will prepare students to learn in and from practice. Students will examine the professional role of the nursing associate and how this is underpinned by both The Code (NMC, 2018) and Compassion in Practice Strategy 6C’s (NHS England, 2012). Key legal and ethical principles which guide the nursing associate’s role as an accountable professional whilst delivering person-centred care will be explored. Students will develop a range of communication skills and strategies to effectively meet the needs of people across the lifespan, that demonstrates cultural awareness and when people may have special communication needs or a disability. The module will include the aims and principles of health promotion, protection and improvement and the prevention of ill health. Module content will facilitate the development of health promotion skills, and the ability to monitor and review the effectiveness of health promotion interventions. Students will learn about their role in addressing health inequalities and safeguarding vulnerable groups and individuals. The focus will be on the shift towards prevention of ill health and supporting people to make informed choices about how to manage health challenges in order to maximise their quality of life and improve health outcomes. Students will be introduced to the concept of parity of esteem whilst considering the health and development of the child and young people, through to studying how the aging process affects the older adult.
• Delivery of Safe and Effective Person-centred Care: This module will introduce students to the nursing process: assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation (APIE).
This will support the Nursing Associate in their role of delivering and monitoring person centred care in a range of environments. They will learn how to participate in holistic assessment of physical, mental, cognitive, behavioural and wellbeing status and medication usage for individuals across the lifespan. They will use a range of frameworks, tools, techniques, investigations and communication skills. When considering planning and implementing care, students will also be introduced to concepts of shared and ethical decision making. Students will draw on and develop their knowledge of anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology and fundamental pharmacology. Students will also explore the essential components of holistic and evidence-based person-centred care such as dignity, sexuality, sleep, comfort, hygiene, skin integrity, nutrition, hydration, bladder and bowel care, mobility, respiratory care, infection control, end of life care, pain control and medicine management. This will build upon their nursing skills already gained from Care Delivery Part 1 in the Clinical Simulation Centre and skills and experiences they have gained in both their host clinical environment and external clinical placement. The module will also consider culturally sensitive care alongside considering vulnerable individuals and groups.
• Care Delivery 1: This module encompasses the skills, knowledge and professional behaviours needed to deliver safe, effective, compassionate and evidence-based person-centred care, in order to meet the Standards of Proficiency for Nursing Associates (2018).
Students will be prepared for clinical placements through the taught content which will include simulation. They will undertake learning in the Clinical Simulation Centre to practice and develop their clinical skills. They will have the opportunity to integrate theory with practice and to practice their clinical skills within the varied clinical environments in the Clinical Simulation Centre prior to attending clinical placement. Students will undertake a series of external supernumerary clinical placements that will address the NMC and Article 31(3) of Directive 2005/36/EC requirements with regards to experiencing the full range of care environments, fields of practice and hours to be achieved. External placements will include in-hospital settings, diagnostic and outpatient services, as well as community services, primary care and social care.

Year 2

Students will revisit assessment skills and care planning, with emphasis on working in partnership to plan person centred care underpinned with evidence-based guidelines. The planning of care will look at maintenance as well as addressing acute exacerbations, both in and out of hospital. The impact of health and social care policy on the shift of focus to prevention and care delivery outside the hospital will be explored. This will include considering integrated health and care services and the service user’s journey. The module will address the concept of acute deterioration in physical and mental health across the lifespan. Students will be introduced to the generic principles of clinical decision making and critical analysis to support their needs assessment and planning for person-centred care. Students will revisit core anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology, assessment skills and prioritisation for person-centred care. The module will be underpinned by the nursing process however the main framework when conducting assessment and management of physical health deterioration will be the ABCDE approach (airway, breathing, circulation, disability, exposure). Students will also be prepared for assessing and managing people experiencing an acute mental health crisis. Students will examine specific communication skills for conducting an appropriate interview and gaining a clear history. Risk assessment frameworks will be used to assess risk of harm to self and others.

• Delivering Quality Care through Evidence Based Practice: This module will help students build on their knowledge of evidence-based practice in healthcare from their Part 1 modules and their critical thinking skills.
The relevance and application of evidence-based practice in varied health and social care environments/services will be discussed. Students will be introduced to a range of methodologies when considering how the safety and quality of care is enhanced using evidence-based practice. The module will build on their literature searching skills and provide a more thorough and robust approach to search strategies. Students will use critical thinking, evidence-based practice frameworks and hierarchies of evidence to support their analysis of the quality and reliability of published research when reviewing evidence and literature. Students will also be introduced to change management theory and consider its application within the process of enhancing the quality of care by implementing evidence-based practice and service improvement. Students will be supported to develop their digital skills in undertaking literature searches and their literacy skills, such as constructing a coherent argument. Students will be supported to reflect on their role as a leader within a variety of health and social care teams. They will reflect on their ability to lead and manage their own workload and responsibilities including time management, prioritisation and delegation. The roles, responsibilities and scope of practice of key members of the nursing and interdisciplinary team will be explored, including how to make best use of the contributions of others involved in providing care. Students will apply the principles of human factors and environmental factors approaches when working in teams. Students will explore how to utilise constructive feedback and examine their own leadership potential and ability to guide, support and motivate individuals and interact confidently within the interdisciplinary team. They will consider how to challenge and provide constructive feedback about care delivered by others in the team and explore their emerging role as a supervisor of students in the delivery of nursing care, promoting reflection and providing constructive feedback.
• Care Delivery 2: This module encompasses the skills, knowledge and professional behaviours needed to deliver safe, effective, compassionate and evidence-based person-centred care, in order to meet the Standards of Proficiency for Nursing Associates (2018).
Students will be prepared for clinical placements through the taught content which will include simulation. They will undertake learning in the Clinical Simulation Centre to practice and develop their clinical skills. They will have the opportunity to integrate theory with practice and to practice their clinical skills within the varied clinical environments in the Clinical Simulation Centre prior to attending clinical placement. Students will undertake a series of external supernumerary clinical placements that will address the NMC and Article 31(3) of Directive 2005/36/EC requirements with regards to experiencing the full range of care environments, fields of practice and hours to be achieved External placements will include in-hospital settings, diagnostic and outpatient services, as well as community services, primary care and social care.

Careers:

As a trainee nursing associate, you will usually have guaranteed employment as a qualified nursing associate within your organisation following successful completion of the apprenticeship. Nursing Associates provide care for people of all ages and from different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. Patients may have mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural care needs and qualified nursing associates will be providing care in a range of settings including in people's homes, in the community, hospital or in any health care setting. Due to the broad nature of the role, nursing associates will be adept at working in the context of continual change, challenging environments, different models of care delivery, shifting demographics, innovation and rapidly evolving technologies. The apprenticeship will provide trainees with the knowledge and skills to confidently provide evidence based, direct nursing care. With an increasing integration of health and social care services, nursing associates will be required to negotiate boundaries and play an important role in multidisciplinary teams.