Isle Of Wight NHS Trust Celebrates First 'Homegrown' Cohort Of Registered Nursing Associates

The IOW NHS Trust is celebrating their own first homegrown cohort of Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Registered Nursing Associates.

Six have now completed their Higher Apprenticeship in Nursing Associate Practice in partnership with the Open University (OU).

The Trust and the OU have been collaborating to deliver apprenticeship programmes to increase the number of registered nurses and nursing associates. The first cohort of registered nursing degree apprentices started their studies in September 2018, with trainee nursing associates joining the IOW NHS workforce in February 2019.  

A Nursing Associate is an NMC Registrant and a highly trained generic support role within the field of Nursing and Midwifery. Registered Nursing Associates have the breadth of knowledge and a flexible, transferable skill set to serve the health needs of local communities, covering a range of healthcare settings. 

The newly qualified Nursing Associates will be taking up roles within Mental Health, Community and Paediatric Services. 

Donna Parkinson, Head of Education and Development said:

“We started this journey over two years ago with the Open University and we are just so happy and proud to see our trainee nurses qualify after all the hard work they have put in.

“The lack of bursary and cost has made attending university for many a difficult option to commit to but the apprenticeship schemes have unlocked the career path into nursing and have been helping people to access this career choice with amazing results.”

To mark this occasion and to congratulate the newly registered nursing associates on their success, the Trust held a small ceremony where they were presented with their IOW NHS nursing badge and certificate of achievement. 

Karen Elliott, Registered Nursing Associate said:

“I have been wanting to be a nurse for years and have worked as a healthcare assistant for years prior to this. I have never been able to do this up until now due to family commitments and finances. However the programme I have followed has allowed me to complete my training and achieve my aspirations and become a registered professional. I am looking forward to my career and what the future holds.”

Christina Ring, Registered Nursing Associate said:

“To finally be a qualified nursing associate makes the two years hard work worthwhile.  I am so proud to have achieved my pin and be able to work in such a rewarding discipline. Being a registered nursing associate allows me to work in any field of nursing and the experiences I have gained during my training have helped me become a capable practitioner that can care for the holistic needs of the patient. In the future I would like to top up my training to become a Registered Mental Health Nurse and continue to work with people living with Dementia.”

Jessica Morris, Registered Nursing Associate added:

“To be able to finally call myself a nurse is like my dreams have come true, the Trust and the OU gave me the ideal opportunity to be able to make this happen within my family life and I will be forever grateful for that. Who knows what the future will bring for me but I'm sure that my aspirations and determination will take me to learn further more.”