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BUILD THE FUTURE – Claire switches IT career for a Nursing Associate Degree Apprenticeship

07/02/2021

“I didn’t want to be a Health Care Assistant for the rest of my life and the Apprenticeship offered the opportunity to expand my knowledge. I would definitely recommend it. The skills we learn are applicable to all workplace settings which gives you more choice when looking at career options.”

Claire Reynolds, 44 from Bloxwich, switched her career in IT to become a Health Care Assistant and has recently graduated with a Nursing Associate Foundation Degree Apprenticeship at the University of Wolverhampton, funded by her employer, Royal Wolverhampton Trust (RWT).

Claire works as a Nursing Associate on the Paediatric Ward at New Cross Hospital, RWT.  She left school with GCSEs and studied at Computer College, working in various IT roles installing hardware and software for a technology company.

After having a child, she realised that it was becoming increasingly difficult working in the IT industry as well as being a parent so she decided to switch careers. She got a job as a receptionist in a GP Surgery and began working towards her Health Care Assistant (HCA) Diploma with the aim of doing Phlebotomist training.

She said: “My priority was my son and having a child changed my outlook.  I had always been career minded and wanted to climb the corporate ladder but I realised that IT as a sector was too demanding.

“I worked full-time in a GP Surgery for five years and knew that I wanted to work in the health care sector.  When an opportunity came up at Royal Wolverhampton Trust to work as a Health Care Assistant and, at the same time, study for a Nursing Associate Foundation Degree Apprenticeship, I knew it was the route I wanted to take.

“I didn’t want to be a Health Care Assistant for the rest of my life and the Apprenticeship offered the opportunity to expand my knowledge. I would definitely recommend it. The skills we learn are applicable to all workplace settings which gives you more choice when looking at career options.

“We had lots of skills sessions, used the facilities on offer and got lots of support.  I would definitely recommend it. The role is ‘people centred’ and, unlike the Registered Nurse role, Nursing Associates get to be hands-on with patients and we can work across the whole of the healthcare industry.”

 

As well as being a Nursing Associate Ambassador, Claire is a Shared Governance Chair Council Member at Royal Wolverhampton Trust and developed a service improvement initiative as an assessment for one of her course modules. She worked with other members to produce a poster aimed at providing patients and visitors with more information about nursing uniforms in order for them to identify staff more easily. The initiative won funding to have the poster produced and displayed in wards around Trust sites.

Find out more about how Degree Apprenticeships can benefit you or your business: www.wlv.ac.uk/naw2021

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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