CHOOSING A DEGREE APPRENTICESHIP

I qualified in 2011 as a staff nurse working in coronary care. I worked my way up to band 6 and eventually ward manager.  When the chance to study on the degree apprenticeship came up, I saw this as an opportunity to gain insight into operational policy – why we are asked to do, what we do, as management. The degree apprenticeship has helped me massively in working more efficiently by developing and empowering my staff to ease my own workload.   

CAREER PROGRESSION

The Chartered Manager Health and Social Care Degree Apprenticeship has been very challenging, but I can see the value of every unit that we have studied. I’ve been able to put into practice the leadership theories and tools that we have been studying to push both myself and my staff out of our comfort zones. As a result, I’ve been successful in securing a promotion to Matron and left a strong department who were able to promote a team member into my old role.  

THE MARY SEACOLE PROGRAMME

I used my experiences of studying the Developing Self and Others, Managing Change and Innovation units and the Mary Seacole programme in my interview for promotion. I got really good feedback on the digital change that I presented at the interview. I would not have been successful in securing the Matron role in my new department had it not been for the knowledge and practical experience I got through these units.    

During the Mary Seacole unit, the lecturer gave plenty of opportunities for group work, which allowed us to learn from each other and from our different working strategies. I used this learning when preparing for an internal accreditation visit. I prepared a strategy poster for my ward, which served as a visual aid for staff when assessors questioned them regarding the culture on the ward. I also worked hard to create a “no blame” culture where staff could talk openly and freely about any issues to resolve them quickly and without recriminations. The learning I did on the Mary Seacole unit really helped me in these areas, and I’ve received positive feedback from the assessors on the ward visit.    

IMPROVING WORKING PRACTICES

Previously, I really struggled with my workload, and I found that I was taking a lot of work home with me, so I devised a competency plan for the band sixes, and it was all about plotting where they thought they were versus where I thought they were and assigning a RAG rating order to identify areas for development. I then started delegating procedures and meetings more regularly to build their knowledge and confidence. This also gave me the leadership examples I needed when I went for promotion myself. 

I used to be so scared of sitting on teams with senior governance nursing groups because I did not like the attention on me, and because I was out of my comfort zone. Whereas now, I find that the degree apprenticeship has given me so much confidence that I can make meaningful contributions. I know that the work I am doing has had brilliant feedback from internal governance within the Trust, as well as from my skills coach and lecturers.    

Find out more about our Chartered Manager Health and Social Care Degree Apprenticeship.