National Apprenticeship Week 2023

Caitlin is a 21 year old Nursing Associate who is on a top up apprenticeship degree in order to become a registered nurse.

“I decided I wanted to come into healthcare because I wanted to make a difference”, Caitlin said before continuing “I chose an apprenticeship because I wanted to put my learning into practice and gain experience”

“I receive support from the Trust day to day, with individuals sharing their knowledge and experience. I’m extremely grateful for them and for their support they’ve provided me”.

“I really enjoy working in the NHS as I can provide person centred care and work as a team to make a difference to patients’ lives. It is a privilege to be able to care for others”

Chloe is a Direct Entry, Apprentice Healthcare Assistant who started working at the Trust last year when she was 16. Joining the Trust after completing her GCSEs which included English, Maths and Health and Social Care, Chloe decided to further her education by completing her care certificate and NVQ through an apprenticeship.

“I always knew that my end goal was to be working in a medical field and I had personal experience with caring for vulnerable people, and knew that this would be a good introduction to working in the Trust.”

“I have received lots of support from everyone in the Trust, whether it was emotional support, helping with training or just answering my questions! The staff on my ward have been really welcoming and have looked after me and I couldn’t be more grateful”

“I enjoy every aspect of my job, but I particularly enjoy getting to sit down with the patients and listen to their stories, while keeping them company, reminding them that we care.”

Hannah is a Specialist Medicines Management Pharmacy Technician, having completed the certificate of higher education in pharmacy technician practice as an apprentice with the Trust.

“I’ve chosen to work in this field because I love supporting patients along their journey and helping them with their medication and leading to better outcomes for them”

“I enjoy speaking with the patients and getting to know them along with [working out] how I can help with their medications and support them”

“Throughout my apprenticeship I received a great deal of support from the Trust- I received a great wealth of knowledge from my colleagues and great resources along with time to do my studies”

“The thing I enjoy most about my job, is the fulfilment I get from helping patients and working with the wider healthcare team, working together to improve patient outcomes”

Jenna Marie is currently a Nursing Associate, who recently completed her apprenticeship course with the Trust and is currently undertaking an apprenticeship top up course.
Having worked in the Trust for 10 years in an array of roles, Jenna decided to progress within her career by training alongside her work.

“I’ve enjoyed being here, I’ve loved working with all the teams! Being on placement has allowed me to see different areas that I wouldn’t have normally seen, so it’s been a really enjoyable experience!” 

Sara is a Senior Healthcare Assistant Mentor on ward A4 at Peterborough City Hospital. Having worked on the ward for 14 years and starting recently her senior band 3 role in May, Sara enrolled onto a Level 3 Apprenticeship Diploma in Healthcare Support.

After being a full time carer for her mother, Sara decided she wanted to help others, seeing that being a HCA in a hospital would be where she could make a difference.

“14 years on and I still enjoy caring for my patients and making their stay as easy as possible by providing the best care I can.”

“Now I am passing my knowledge on in my new role to our new HCA starters. The support I have received during my apprenticeship from my assessor Sarah has been amazing and hopefully by completing it will help me progress to becoming a HCA facilitator one day”

Lauren is currently studying a Level 4 Healthcare Science Associate Apprenticeship in Cardiorespiratory.

The course Lauren is undertaking, is a mixture of online lectures vis Microsoft Teams and assignments along with dedicating a percentage of her time to learning and training within departments and gaining knowledge.

As part of practical learning, Lauren can run her own clinic, performing diagnostic tests and spirometries.

A normal clinical day within Lauren’s department can consist of an array of different tasks such as setting up the department, calibrating and verifying diagnostic equipment, stocking up on medical consumables, reviewing patient lists and performing diagnostic tests.

Lauren also herself provides some educational and support to junior members of staff.

Lauren undertook an apprenticeship so she could progress in her career, furthering her education and specialities along with maintaining important patient contact.

“The thing I enjoy the most about my clinical day is that I can keep my patient contact, which is very important to me, also have the ability to learn on the job, and educate others with the knowledge I have. “

“Although my main passion is respiratory, my apprenticeship also has elements of cardiology. Because of this, I would like to develop my knowledge more by looking into further education while also having the ability to mix the specialities. For example, the respiratory investigations department are aiming to set up a new Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing clinic, which will allow me to use my cardiac knowledge during a respiratory test. I would also like the opportunity to teach junior staff members and spread the word of healthcare sciences.”